May 2004 mamas finding happiness & fulfillment in the new year! (& maybe riches) [Archive]

Mama Faery

01-01-2007, 02:14 PM

Just subscribin'! Nice thread title, KK! :lol :fingersx:
Happy, happy New Year, everyone! DH and I were up till about 12:45 last night, much to our regret when Rowan woke up at 7am! :yawning: I got up with him and we watched Sesame Street and then I made waffles, eggs and potatoes and we woke DH for breakfast! :) We've been in our pajamas all day and have been taking turns napping. :bag: Rowan has been ALL ABOUT DADDY this weekend, to the point where I walk in the room and he says "Go AWAY, Mama!" It makes me kinda :( but I know it's normal...right??? I hope so, anyway.

We're fighting colds here, I think I won my fight but DH lost his. Zinc is gross, but it rules. :p

My BF called me from the bar she was at and I got to hear all the New Year revelry. She makes me :shake, but well, I love her. I hope she's feeling better this afternoon (she was hungover, apparently!)

The wildest we got last night was well, staying up late, getting a *little* inebriated, and playing Atari video games. :wink I put up the new calendars too, which is always fun.

Today, despite being tired, I've also had this urge to clean, organize, that sort of thing. Our dining room looks pretty, and I dusted a bit.

We are so having a premade pizza for dinner tonight. Organic spinach and cheese! :Sheepish:

Have a wonderful rest of the day, mamas. Much :heartbeat to you all! So thankful we're friends! :grouphug MMF!

KKmama

01-01-2007, 05:29 PM

Z says to me, as he's lying next to me (for his nap): "Mommy, you have such beautiful eyebrows. I don't have eyebrows." (and he's petting my eyebrows the whole time :lol ) Can you tell that I'm the darkest one in my family? His eyebrows *are* pretty invisible...

elsanne

01-01-2007, 07:42 PM

Eyebrows, tee hee! Viet thinks it's funny our daughters have "no" eyebrows too. They do, in fact Amara has inherited her father's "diabolical" eyebrows--they arc very sharply.

emmalola, going to pm you shortly!
I look forward to meeting you too.

Heather, just wanting to send you some extra loooove, because my response o'er yonder was lame-o. Basically, what every one else said, especially emmalola's "clinical" response.

fiddlefern

01-01-2007, 09:00 PM

Happy New Year!

We got a whole crapload of stuff for Christmas. I have decided to let everyone I know that for L's birthday (and all future gift-giving occassions) that I would really appreciate it if they could limit themselves to ONE, non-noisy, gift.

Soon we're gonna have four people in a tiny two-bedroom apartment. People know this, but they just can't hold themselves back. Actually, it wasn't really as bad as I feared in terms of volume of stuff, it's just that we're already bustin at the seams.

I am very aware that I give birth next month and that January is "it" in terms of a chance to get things ready for the babe. The house is dirty and I have so many projects I want to get to, but no time. (But hey, I worked on my secret santa gift last night! :thumb). I have a major burst of nesting/New Year's energy. Today I went through L's room and was RUTHLESS in getting rid of stuff that was either large or seldom used. So his room is now under control (at least till we have to put baby stuff in it :dizzy:).

By the way- msg to my secret santa: the gift was PERFECT. I only had one of those things, and it was ugly, wheras yours is _beee-utiful_.

TurboClaudia

01-01-2007, 11:34 PM

dude, sherri just called us "maymamapeeps" :laugh: :rotflmao:

fiddle, do tell what your secret may mama santa gave you... inquiring minds wanna know...

heather: i read your post on the yg but had nothing personal to add and everyone who responded seemed so much more knowledgable. when i am not in the sad-minded, missing my mom state of the past few days, i will probably respond over there somehow. please know i'm thinking of you.

sarahb: thinking of you and hoping you made it/are making it back to pdx-land safely today.

gotta go... few minutes of both small people sleeping soundly to spend with the other adult in the household.

happy 2007, mama-yamas!

~claudia
(who will continue to abuse ellipses in the new year... :D)

Mama Faery

01-02-2007, 06:55 AM

Happy birthday to me, Happy BIRTHDAY toooo meeee...! :balloons
Heehee. Not like it feels like anything special. Guess that's what happens when DH has to work today, *I* have to work tonight, and Rowan doesn't know any better. Hahah. It's all good though. I got cards from both my boys, and DH got me a month of guitar lessons (in addition to fixing my broken old crappy guitar! Woot!) so now it's just a matter of making an appointment for lessons. Hah. Wonder when THAT will happen?! :eyesroll
We're going to the Children's Museum this morning (after Curious George! :bag: :lol) to do this preschool play thing. It should be fun; we haven't been there in AGES.

I feel like I never have anything good to say (in response to all the discussions on the YG), but I do think of you fondly and with MUCH :heartbeat :grouphug I love you all.

I feel kinda optimistic about the coming year. I predict CHANGES, mamas, and hopefully they'll be good ones.
It is an effort to change my way of thinking from Ms. Pessimist to well...anything else. :Sheepish But I am working on it. I was thinking some VERY dark thoughts last night...but I think I'm better today. Ugh.

Sorry, I'm all over the place mood-wise this morning. Rowan woke really grumpily and I had to get very creative in order to get him into a fresh diaper and pants he can actually wear outdoors in 40-degree-weather. *sigh* He's wanted to live in his pajamas every day lately. Most of the time, that's cool, and today he's even still in the pajama top! But the pants were too thin for the cold weather and he wouldn't let me put anything on TOP of them, so I had to fib and tell him they were wet and needed to dry out. :bag: I know, I know...I just DON'T know what to do sometimes. I'm trying not to tell him no unnecessarily, but sometimes, we must wear pants in New England winter weather, you know? :lol

Anyway, enough babble out of me this morning, I hope you all have a great day. :rainbow

TurboClaudia

01-02-2007, 10:02 AM

beginning of day one with me as a solo parent to two during the day... *sigh* at least i got 3.5 months of help during the day. my friend just had her second on the 22nd and her partner was home last week and will be home the rest of this week and then he's back to work. she's worried because she had some ppd issues after her first was born. at least she birthed this one vaginally, as she was getting scare tactics from the ob office about a c/s during her whole pregnancy because her first had a shoulder dystocia and she thinks a c/s birth would have added a whole bunch of issues to the table.

last night was a second night of going to sleep madness for M... :crazy: it took close to wo hours for him to fall asleep once in bed. late naps in the car the past couple of days didn't help matters either. hoping it's just the transition from a houseful of people to just us and he will get back to the usual soon.

okay, he's done with brekkie so i gotta go.

:grouphug

~c

Sarah'sMama

01-02-2007, 10:07 AM

Just wanted to give you some encouragement on your new journey by yourself during the day! You WILL find a routine and you WILL succeed! I know what a strong mama you are and you will be fine, it will be a bit of an adjustment period, but in the end you'll be stronger and more capable! I'm so sorry you are missing your mom. I'm in a funk, too, missing my mom. I wish I could have spent some of the holiday season with her.

elsanne

01-02-2007, 12:58 PM

Another boost of support from me, Claudia---one thing that changed for Sol is she ditched the nap, and that 3 pm shift is hard to deal with but she makes it through okay, then it's a 6.30 or 7 pm bedtime for bonzo while viet holds amara, then a little later (half an hour) amara goes down. It has taken us about 5 months to find our groove, and who knows how long it will last, but it works.

Mama Faery

01-02-2007, 01:40 PM

More thoughts and support to you, Claudia! :hug
Hope this first day is going well!

KKmama

01-02-2007, 03:14 PM

Happy birthday, Renae! Don't do anything I wouldn't do. :lol :wink

TC, let us know how the first day went. I'm thinking of you, too.

Another day of underwear. Keep your fimmers crossed.

School restarts for T tomorrow. He's been ready to go back for about a week. We're going to try to come to some sort of resolution about Z and which preschool here shortly, too. I'm not fretting about T's old school as much... I think I can talk to the teachers about my concerns... I hope that they can address them well.

My friends IRL are finally getting serious with me about setting up a babysitting co-op. We're going to discuss rules on Thurs. I'm *really* excited about that.

Okay. Off to make muffins with the big boy.

elsanne

01-02-2007, 05:31 PM

:balloons :balloons :balloons :balloons :balloons :balloons

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RENAE!!!!

jstar

01-02-2007, 05:35 PM

happy birthday renae!!!!!!! i hope you're having a great day

i hope you're surviving your 1st day claudia.

our new years was crazy. i definitely won't be doing that next year with a 3 year old and 6 month old. no way jose. i'll consider the year after. but it was fun. isaac was still scootering around at 1am asking 'where did the kids go?' they're SLEEPING! but the bunks were basically on a balcony above the main room where there was a dance party followed by guitar playing and singing. it was way too loud for sleeping but somehow every other kid managed it and they disappeared one by one. there was a big circular fireplace in the center surrounded by camp chairs. so isaac became addicted to this little 3wheel spiderman scooter that one of the kids brought. he figured it out and could ride around and around. 'i go so fast!' (not really but not bad for a 2yo). he danced with me and looooooooves listening to guitar. and they roasted a whole pig and fried 2 turkeys so i pigged out (literally) and served a big ol breakfast. 10 hail marys to the vegan nuns!!!!!!!! i think doug even had fun :wink we all had to have major naps yesterday.

our attempt at underwear has gone nowhere. but he is having dry diapers once in a while in the morning! miracle. well, 2 times now.

i gained 4lbs in a month. not bad. that is something i would have done over christmas even not being pregnant!!! :lol and my u/s is in 2 weeks.

our ability to keep isaac at his school is looking pretty slim. i think it is $430 for 2 full days a week and $360 for 2 half days a week. that's a lotttttta money if i'm not working much. but i am pretty sure i want to 'phase' him out rather than abruptly take him out. ie. i hope i can do 2 days for june and july or something before we are clearly too busted to keep it going. maybe it will just be june. my friend worked at a preschool in NE and said one day a week is $80. So maybe 2 is a hundred something. but they have up to 20 kids in a day :dizzy: and isaac's is limited to 10 right now and maybe 12 in the next class. i kinda like the small class thing.

a babysitting co-op sounds good.

i have to go to a public meeting in 2 days where the neighborhood requested an air quality expert *looks around* crap, that's me. aghgggghhh! i hope they don't do this :duck: i'm nervous :lol

ok enough procrastination from moi.

orangecanoe

01-02-2007, 05:35 PM

KK---I am salivating at the thought of a babysitting co-op...I so wish that were an option for me right now! Let us know how it goes!

Renae--hope your birthday was fun! Or perhaps the fun is just beginning!! We're tentatively planning a President's day weekend up in CT...we must get together! Aquarium or IL's or something! Or if it's not too snowy we might just come find ya!

Claudia---you will find your way with your guys. My DH only took a week off too and it was :dizzy: . So sorry it's such a sad time with your mom gone and getting into your groove with the new routines. Snacks left on the table where C could get them were a lifesaver as she was inevitably always desperately hungry when I was feeding E or cleaning poo.

FF--:loveeyes: :wink wowza...so excited for you to meet this new little one!!

Cuh-razy day here. C still has a raging ear infection so now on different abx. Her mood is well obviously :dizzy: . Both girls had PT today before the run to the peds office...then the run to the pharmacy and waiting for the meds with a :dizzy: toddler was so fun. On the way I did manage to drop some things at the thrift store and freecycled lots of stuff today. Girls had their reviews for PT today and E met one of her goals and after the PT left actually crosscrawled a few feet which is a first! We have the ortho tomorrow for her and before that the old OT is BACK!!! :broc: to see E. Yay! Hopefully we'll get to spend some time planning some feeding goals for her since the other OT was useless in that dept. One of my personal goals has been met (see avatar) and I am the last person to think that would be a goal or that I would be happy to see that. Sure beats swaddle feeding!

I'm tired just listening to myself babble....:lol

TurboClaudia

01-02-2007, 06:26 PM

survived the first day. only broke down crying twice. only took rescue remedy twice. managed to get M to nap in the car but it was not a pretty sight. and then as soon as i pulled the car into the garage with both boys sleeping, i turned it off, closed the garage door and S woke up and proceeded to have a difficult hour.

maybe more later but oht with a squirmy babe who hates the sitting pose is challenging and i hate using abbreviations...

~c

elsanne

01-02-2007, 06:53 PM

OH, Claudia!! I did the napping the child in the car too, it was my only coping technique for a while. And I cried, every day, for what seemed like months. However, I haven't cried every day (for one reason or another) in a while now...so long I can't remember when it was that I cried every day. But yes, frustration, unhappiness, overwhelm, it all kicks in. AND IT'S OKAY, IT WILL PASS! Sherri is right. And think--if elsanne can do it, you can do it! It's true! I am just now getting "out" with both girls every so often. But I can see how down the road, as we get it going on, it's going to be imperative to get out at least once a day. As hard as it is to get out (details, man. the DETAILS!). And Sol is already so much more mature, and understands and "minds" a bit better.

jstar

01-02-2007, 07:56 PM

enchiladas are in the oven. mmmmmmmmm

oh it sounds so scary. (the 2nd babe thing). i hope you get your groove back claudia. you will you will you will!

i've had a couple of days lately with isaac where my frustration levels have been so high i'm thinking 'i can't BELIEVE i am having another one' we've had some difficult times. he is SO hard sometimes to deal with. and if 3 is worse than 2 as i often hear i am really not looking forward to it. and i just feel like i am doing this whole thing 'wrong' some days. kwim? like yesterday. he wants to take the coffee pot in the bathtub :irked: no calm sweet logical 'you can't take the coffee pot in the bathtub...it is made of glass and will break' is detering him. so he is screaming and i'm trying to peel his little fingers off one by one while not bashing the thing into the cast iron tub and breaking it. not fun. or this weekend when he is screaming at the top of his lungs in the elevator at target. confined space. loud kid. other people. i just want to hit the 'disappear me' button. i'm wondering where i missed the boat with this child. he is so obnoxious. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. like i think i am generally 'sweet' and laid-back in my approach to things and dealing with people and you would think this would result in a 'sweet' natured child. but no. i guess it doesn't work like that. (or i am grossly offbase on my self-perception :wink )

dear god i hope the 2nd one is chill.

elsanne

01-02-2007, 08:36 PM

enchiladas are in the oven. mmmmmmmmm

dear god i hope the 2nd one is chill.

a) I made enchiladas the other day, in the oven too. Here they laugh at me for making enchiladas in the oven.

b) your second one will be chill, just watch. Ooooh I so wonder what you're having! My intuition says girl.

elsanne

01-02-2007, 08:37 PM

p.s. check out recent girl pix in my blog/sig.

TurboClaudia

01-02-2007, 10:05 PM

love the dancing butt crack pic, els. :D sol's hair is sooooooooooo long. and you look bee-yoo-tee-full in that family pic. :lips: sending you peaceful journey vibes on your way to nuevo mexico...

i got one more little crying breakdown in as i was putting S to sleep a little while ago. i honestly don't know how i'm going to do this. i keep reminding myself, just one moment at a time, claudia, one moment. it's just like laboring with a baby, just one moment and then the next and then the next and before you know it, it's over. breathe... breathe... breathe... i'm glad to say that i do feel more connected to bill these past few days. he's been particularly attentive to daily life details like helping to plan out a menu for dinners for the week, cleaning up dishes after his cooking and putting dishes in the dishwasher after eating, giving me a hug to let me know we're in this together. it's hard, this parenting thing.

thanks for thinking of me, my maymamas. keep sending me good thoughts.

~claudia

jstar

01-02-2007, 10:48 PM

LOVE those pictures. the cuteness!

the enchiladas were great but gave me heartburn :irked: dagnabbit. and how else would you cook them (besides oven)? just roll em up on a plate with sauce? i like the ol 70s cassarole approach :lol

i can't keep up with that portland thread :dizzy:

claudia i want to give you a big ol hug!!!!!!!! and i'm glad bill is being attentive. stars must be aligning in the men arena because doug prepped the enchiladas after i got the ball rolling and then did the dishes too. YES.

gnight ladies

fiddlefern

01-02-2007, 11:15 PM

Sending you a big HUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGG, Claudia. :love

Hope tomorrow is easier. :hug

Mama Faery

01-03-2007, 06:26 AM

Haha, my last mini-post used a DIFFERENT COLOR!!:lol I was posting to another forum where I use that color instead for some reason, and I guess I was just on auto-pilot.
Back to Indigo now though!
So um...it's like 8:15 and Rowan is STILL asleep! :bigeyes He woke at 7, wanted me to pat his back (actually he cried for DADDY, but he was in the shower so he settled for me. :eyesroll) and now, still sleeping. :shrug I won't mess with it! :D

My friend who I do a babysitting trade with (co-op? Not sure...she watches Rowan Wednesday mornings, I watch her DS Friday morns) is not coming over today, her son has a tummy bug (I don't fear colds, but stomach viruses?? Stay AWAY! :wink) so I am taking him to our LLL eval meeting--totally not a hardship, he'll have all sorts of friends to play with, and it's a nice pre-LLL meeting with a core group of women who organize the regular meetings, etc. I love it. Rowan loves it too, so I was actually kinda sad that I was going to be going w/o him, but now I'm not! So anyway. :blah

I really don't have anything productive to say at ALL this morning. I am especially fuzzy-headed because work sucked last night (yeah, my birthday kinda sucked too...I had to work my :moon off at the store last night, we had a LOT of cleaning to do and I swear, I don't even clean my HOUSE as well as I did the store last night! :yawning:) So yeah. Blah blabity blah...I was there way too late and I ate dinner way too late and went to bed way too late...you get the picture.
But this evening DH is taking me to my fave pseudo-Mexican restaurant after our chiro appointments, so that'll be yummy. Speaking of enchiladas! :yum

Elsanne, omg. What a freaking adorable family you have! Beautiful mama, you!
Looooove the bellydancing picture! And the tribal baby gear! Beautiful earthy child!
And that rug, it really does tie the room together! :wink
I SO have to update my pics on the YG! I will, I swear! Um, tonight? :Sheepish: (new fave smiley to abuse!)

Claudia, SO many :hugs and good vibes coming your way! I remember crying every day those first few months alone with Rowan (and when DH was going to grad school and I was alone with a newborn from 6am-10pm!!)...and those doing it with two...I've said it before, I'll say it again...:bow :jammin You freakin' RULE.

jstar, that New Years' sounded a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I wish ours was that awesome! We did go into the city (Providence) at night and we saw fireworks and a friend play at a club...Rowan was in awe of her; she's a friend from church and he'd NEVER seen her perform before! www.kmetal.net (her name's Kristi--we love her!) So anyway, good New Years, but we were still home by 8:30! :lol

Okay, totally babbling now. I feel like a flake. :wink I am going to drink more coffee now.

Oh, and Heather! YES! We WILL hang out whenever you get yourselves to CT! Just let us know! Hope C is feeling better!

ETA: I am so totally eating birthday cake for breakfast. :bag:

:grouphug

elsanne

01-03-2007, 06:44 AM

Renae, I so totally noticed the different color and commented on it in my head.

Claudia, you can do it. I felt the same way at first. The first year is hard, then after that it gets EASIER than just one kid (everyone says) because they entertain each other.

orangecanoe

01-03-2007, 07:49 AM

gorgeous pics, elsanne....she lost her little toddler buddha belly! I adore that tribal skirty! I'm going to try and sew some for C for the spring/summer.

oh why does every day feel like monday! :lol

orangecanoe

01-03-2007, 08:08 AM

eta: ack, Renae...didn't realize you had to work on your birthday too! Hope you guys can find some ways to celebrate this weekend!

just procrastinating and boosting my post count instead of cleaning the kitchen...:lol

elsanne

01-03-2007, 09:02 AM

HI heather! Exclusive pumper! Walking in your shoes!

Funny thing 'bout that belly--she still has it, big time! Most of the time--I think in that picture because she was dancing she had it contracted.

Wait, is today not Monday? :wink

orangecanoe

01-03-2007, 09:23 AM

Els---funny you said that about her muscles...I was thinking when I saw her dancing from the back...man does she have some good trunk tone! I totally see you in her when she's dancing...something about the way she holds herself if that makes any sense.

KKmama

01-03-2007, 09:45 AM

Els, those are really awesome pix. All of them (but esp. the butt crack!!).

I want bday cake for breakfast. We had the muffins T and I made yesterday. I let him crack eggs for the first time (for the non-vegan batch). He totally squirted one all over himself. It was a little bit funny (and I will be the first to admit that the happy vitamins allow me to see it as funny rather than getting upset about it).

We're getting into our groove where dh goes into work at 7:30 and the goal is to have him home at 4. I tell ya, it *rocks*. It totally short-circuits that crazy time (at our house, from ~5-6), and it's soooo much easier to get dinner on the table.

TC... can you try to arrange to be with people/plan morning outings 3-4 mornings a week for the next couple of weeks? Not the same as people coming to your house to help with the kids, but even a play date or a trip to the library or a playground can be such a sanity saver. I really felt on the edge, though, for the first few weeks "solo" with T and Z and then again with T, Z, and L. :hug

Re the babysitting co-op... several of my RL friends are in the same mental state as I am (ie, going mental--the Dec. germs and snow here sent everyone 'round the bend), and between the $$ and difficulty finding a good babysitter, yeah, we're really getting serious about a co-op. Have y'all seen babysitterexchange.com? It takes care of the logistics for you for free.... HF, is there *anyone* there you can trade with?

Eek, poor C. Ear infections are the *worst*. And woot woot for the old OT!!!! Does the new avatar meaning that E's drinking from a bottle all by herself, no struggling, etc?

Still going on the underwear. But he's not really initiating the going potty, I'm just telling him when he needs to go. So I guess if this works it will mean less laundry (in the form of dipes), but not necessarily less work (which is why I waited with T till *he* initiated). Oh well. I guess I'm just choosing the form of work I want. ;)

Going bowling tonight with the girls. I will once again visualize John Turturro. :lol

mamameg

01-03-2007, 10:55 AM

KK - love the babysitting coop idea. My playgroup does a little thing called "date night coop". I have not participated because they started it when I was hugely pg with Jett, but everyone who does it loves it! Here's how it works:

The goal is to have a date night once a month. A group of families participate (I think ours has about 10 or so families). All the participants take turns being the "host family" (turns out to be about once a year). The host family opens up their house on their host night to however many kids they think they can handle (usually around 5-6, which works out great, and it usually about how many families want to go out that night) from 5-8PM. They plan crafts, games, activities, dinner and maybe a movie/tv (for the last 30-45 min) for all the kids. All the other parents go out on a date for 3 hours, while their kids are being cared for in a fun, group setting, with parents and kids they are very familiar with (we have been a playgroup for ~2 yrs at this point).

I've also heard of people doing this with "bucks". You actually make up fake "bucks" and you earn them by hosting/sitting. No one has to keep track of everything and each person is responsible for keep track of their own bucks.

Holy Cow, did I forget to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR???? :o

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY RENAE!!!! :o :o Hope you get some real celebrating in soon. :broc: :wink (BTW, I was totally chucking at your "green chirstmas" joke the other day. :lol )

HF, been thinking of you and your awesomeness for exclusively pumping for so long! You are such a rockin mama! I can't even imaging going through all you do each day/week/month. I admire you so much for doing it with such grace and patience, and for knowing when it's all just too much for you. :Hug

TC, I remember feeling nervous about being on my own with multiple kids, too. Before you know it, you'll be doing it with your eyes closed, just like you did the first time. And if it makes you feel better, my friend who has four kids (ages 7, 5, 3 & 3 months :dizzy: ) and is one of the most awesome, super gd, got-her-shite-together parents, told me yesterday that she is nervous about being on her own for the next few days (family going home, au pair still on vacation). She's been doing this for YEARS and is such a pro (the au pair is a new thing as of this last baby being born, so she's done most of it on her own), and she still gets nervous when it's just her and the kids when she's PP. It's natural and normal and you will get through it just fine. :hug

Okay, Jett's sleeping and Mia is actually calmish, so I'm going to fix myself a bite to eat.

MMF!

DucetteMama21842

01-03-2007, 11:01 AM

Oh my goodness! I never realized their was a May '04 thread! Can I still hop in?

Sarah'sMama

01-03-2007, 11:38 AM

dear god i hope the 2nd one is chill.

IME, the second tends to be chill. Everyone I can think of has easier second babes than first. You will be amazed at how much Isaac "grows up" once that second is born.

p.s. check out recent girl pix in my blog/sig.

Too dang cute! Ms Sol is sooo into te dance, just like her mama! She's gorgeous, as are you and Amara! Love thie pix!

it's just like laboring with a baby, just one moment and then the next and then the next and before you know it, it's over. breathe... breathe... breathe...~claudia

You're totally right, TC, I'm thinking of you. I agree ith KK, find some places you can get out to. For me, right after Katie was born, I had my "safe" places, places I could take both kids to and if they (or I) freaked, it was ok. Mostly friend's houses, but it did me a world of good to get out of my house and it really helps boost your confidence when you can get a few of those types o trips under your belt.

Claudia, you can do it. I felt the same way at first. The first year is hard, then after that it gets EASIER than just one kid (everyone says) because they entertain each other.

:truedat:

Els, those are really awesome pix. All of them (but esp. the butt crack!!).

I want bday cake for breakfast. We had the muffins T and I made yesterday. I let him crack eggs for the first time (for the non-vegan batch). He totally squirted one all over himself. It was a little bit funny (and I will be the first to admit that the happy vitamins allow me to see it as funny rather than getting upset about it).

We're getting into our groove where dh goes into work at 7:30 and the goal is to have him home at 4. I tell ya, it *rocks*. It totally short-circuits that crazy time (at our house, from ~5-6), and it's soooo much easier to get dinner on the table.

TC... can you try to arrange to be with people/plan morning outings 3-4 mornings a week for the next couple of weeks? Not the same as people coming to your house to help with the kids, but even a play date or a trip to the library or a playground can be such a sanity saver. I really felt on the edge, though, for the first few weeks "solo" with T and Z and then again with T, Z, and L. :hug

Re the babysitting co-op... several of my RL friends are in the same mental state as I am (ie, going mental--the Dec. germs and snow here sent everyone 'round the bend), and between the $$ and difficulty finding a good babysitter, yeah, we're really getting serious about a co-op. Have y'all seen babysitterexchange.com? It takes care of the logistics for you for free.... HF, is there *anyone* there you can trade with?

Eek, poor C. Ear infections are the *worst*. And woot woot for the old OT!!!! Does the new avatar meaning that E's drinking from a bottle all by herself, no struggling, etc?

Still going on the underwear. But he's not really initiating the going potty, I'm just telling him when he needs to go. So I guess if this works it will mean less laundry (in the form of dipes), but not necessarily less work (which is why I waited with T till *he* initiated). Oh well. I guess I'm just choosing the form of work I want. ;)

Going bowling tonight with the girls. I will once again visualize John Turturro. :lol

Have fun bowling, and I'm so glad you've got a co-op working out! double w00t!

KK - love the babysitting coop idea. My playgroup does a little thing called "date night coop". I have not participated because they started it when I was hugely pg with Jett, but everyone who does it loves it! Here's how it works:

The goal is to have a date night once a month. A group of families participate (I think ours has about 10 or so families). All the participants take turns being the "host family" (turns out to be about once a year). The host family opens up their house on their host night to however many kids they think they can handle (usually around 5-6, which works out great, and it usually about how many families want to go out that night) from 5-8PM. They plan crafts, games, activities, dinner and maybe a movie/tv (for the last 30-45 min) for all the kids. All the other parents go out on a date for 3 hours, while their kids are being cared for in a fun, group setting, with parents and kids they are very familiar with (we have been a playgroup for ~2 yrs at this point).

Sounds great, and it works so well since you have such a large playgroup! I'm so jealous!

Oh my goodness! I never realized their was a May '04 thread! Can I still hop in?

Hop aboard! Always glad to see new faces 'round these parts! I love the name Dominic. My sister considered that name when pregnant for her ds2. Jump on in, we're a crazy group!

How 'bout me, working the multiquote thang? :wink

orangecanoe

01-03-2007, 02:09 PM

kk--yup...she is over the hump on that part of feeding at least! :broc: I think I'm going to start chatting up some of the other moms at the library/C's gym class re: babysitting/playdate swaps etc.

jstar--my second is most definitely more laid back than the first...phew!

E's ortho appt. went well...'cept we waited 45 minutes to be sent on to the neurologist. He said her hips and all look good. One of our major concerns was her dragging her left side when crawling. So wouldn't you know that once yesterday and a zillion times today she started cross-crawling like it was nothing. Oy. Had a great visit with the OT today...yay! I think C almost pooped her pants she was so happy to see her. She kept exclaiming "I'm so excited!!"

KKmama

01-03-2007, 03:49 PM

Major :thumb to Miss E. Sounds like a banner day for all 3 of you.

T is definitely the most tightly wound of my 3. I think part of that is just the pressure of being the oldest... I think we as parents probably mellow as we get more experience. (Translation: T gets the brunt of his parents figgering out how to parent.) As someone in our playgroup says, "That's another $5 in the therapy jar..." :lol

Meg, I'm gonna cut and paste and forward your bit about your coopy thang to my friends. That sounds really well structured.

Z told me that underwear feel better than a dipe, but that he wanted to put a dipe back on. He definitely doesn't have pooping on the potty together yet (at all), and I think he doesn't want to have to remember to pee on the potty (or have Mama remind him). So this may fizzle. No pressure.

jstar

01-03-2007, 05:35 PM

i don't think isaac wants to remember either. he's asked to put a diaper on after an underwear accident before. i don't want to put pressure because i can see him being EXACTLY the kind of kid that resists just for the point of resistance. and both times he woke with a dry diaper i asked if he wanted to go pee on the potty and he said no. and then as soon as i put it back on he said 'pee pee is coming out' so i think he really 'gets' it all. but he doesn't want to do it yet. i want him to WANT underwear really. that seems like the best recipie for success anyway

this morning i asked him if anyone in his class was wearing underwear now and he said no. and i said 'you could be the FIRST one to wear underwear to school!' :shy he thought about it. no comment. :lol

i'm glad it was a good day heather. i didn't get a chance to comment over yonder but i too am so impressed with how well you've dealt with all the medical stuff and am really amazed how *dedicated* you are to exclusive pumping. you are one awesome mama :loveeyes:

Mama Faery

01-03-2007, 08:20 PM

I had a much better birthday night tonight! :wink If only I could get DH off of his video game now! :irked:
Danile, welcome! :wave So glad you found us, jump right in! :rainbow

So anyway, I had a LLL eval meeting this morning, which was wonderful for me AND Rowan...always good to hang out with a group of mamas IRL who are very like me (parenting-style-wise)...though one of them drives me :nut, I can totally deal.
Then all three of us (me, Rowan, DH) had an appt with our awesome chiro, and then we went to dinner, and DH took Rowan home for bath and jammies while I ran to the music store to use my gift card! :love It was actually a christmas gift, but I got a couple more CD's and called it a b-day gift too! :wink The first Smiths album (released in 1984! I didn't even know who The Smiths were until I was in high school! :bigeyes), a Doors album I didn't have on CD (The Soft Parade--makes me all nostalgic in a weird way--I remember a strange afternoon with some friends, listening to Tool and this album. :dizzy: :hippie yeah...) and an AFI single, because I still :heartbeat them, even if sometimes their lead singer annoys me. :lol I had a sexy dream about him last night though! It was weird, in a mexican-soap-opera sort of way.
Oh, and I got the new Depeche Mode album too! I was totally going BACK to high school this evening, man. :lol
We are recomitting ourselves to not spending much money but I did enjoy this musical purchase. Music and books, they're my weaknesses! :Sheepish:

Heather, wow, exclusive pumping! You really are a super mama!
Speaking of super-mamas, Claudia, I hope you had a good day today!
That's all I can think of right now...no wait! We considered buying underwear for Rowan the other day, then decided against it. I am so glad some of you are talking about the potty learning though. We're still not there. I asked him today if he wanted to use the potty (after he told me he was making poopies) and he said "No!" Okay...definitely not pushing it here...but his little potty is gathering dust! :lol

:blah again! And this time before bedtime! Haha! Maybe I'll post tomorrow morning too though. You know you love it. :wink

Have a great night, everymama. :grouphug Sweet dreams!

emmalola

01-03-2007, 08:23 PM

I don't know how you mommas are able to stay on top of this MDC stuff. I'm always so envious. more of a lurker, but trying...

Welcome, Ducette Mama! I like the name Dominic too. I think you'll find we're a rowdy bunch. And in case you're wondering, MMF means May Moms Forever! Yay!:lol

Heather- I am reminded and inspired by your hard work. Wow- what a mom! Or, WAM. As in, Heather, you're WAM.

Potty: The lentil went through a period of hating to be reminded, hating to be inconvenienced. But now that we're through it, it's a rare day that he has an accident, and it's usually because of some extenuating circumstance. For the most part, we don't have to remind him because he lets us know. Lately he's really gotten into peeing "wild style" which means peeing standing up, outside. We don't dare try the standing thing in the house. uh uh.

Please let # 2 be chill! I'm most worried about the birth and any complications right now, just because we don't have insurance that covers hospital stays. Riding on a wing and a prayer, these days. And the reassurance that we're statistically on the good end of things. eep.

Sarah's Mom- way to go with the multi-quotes. you rock, computer geek!

nuggetsmom

01-03-2007, 08:59 PM

HI everyone, I am back. It has been a busy few weeks with the holidays and all and I am just tired. My BIL got married too so we had to go to that.
My kids were just at each other this morning., I think N is ready to go back to school too. Our TV time is going up these days just because I can't deal anymore. I think in Kindergarten they are so busy from moment to moment (of course the teacher is prepared beforehand!) that it is hard for N to just play free play day in and day out. Plus, she gets frustrated with J who is not playing the same way and not really listening. Plus a number of other things I am sure (she is almost 5 1/2 don't ya know! the half years are just deadly)
There has been a lot of stuff going on her and yonder and I thought I would chime in and say that I was thinking of everyone though I have nothing good to add.
Claudia- it will get easier. I no longer cry most days ;) In fact, I don't cry I yell, and today I was not doing well, but really the prblem was more that we should have gone out and I didn't. And going out with two is now relatively easy. And I for one don't think driving for naps is a waste at all! a thousand moms driving across town to take kids to school is.
Oh, I could rant about that but I won't.

nuggetsmom

01-03-2007, 09:10 PM

BTW how do you make enchiladas if you don't put them in the oven?

Mama Faery

01-04-2007, 06:23 AM

Even though I posted last night, you cannot escape my morning post! Bwhahahaha! :lol
Anyway. I don't have a lot to say, but why is it so friggin' hard to get moving most days?? Oh, winter. Right. :eyesroll I have grand aspirations to clean the house, get organized, maybe even go to the grocery store (no fresh fruit and very few veggies in the house! :bag:) but then, here I am in my jammies still, Rowan hasn't even had a morning diaper yet (:bag: I know...he's been so resistant to ANYthing I suggest lately that I sometimes can't even be bothered. I told him after Elmo he HAD to get a dipe. :hide:) and I don't think I'll get him out of his pajamas all day, even if we DO go somewhere. *sigh* It's easier not to fight. Good thing it's been a mild winter so far. :eyesroll

So I'm wasting time watching AFI videos on YouTube and trying to read email. Haha. I should go fold laundry.

Where's my motivation?? Can i just do NOTHING for a few days?? ;)

Have a great day, everyone. :grouphug

Welcome back, mama of nuggets! :lol We missed you! Dude, I don't even have the "two kids!" reason and mine watches too much TV. *sigh* I am tired of even worrying about it. It's frikkin' PBS, man! It's too cold and/or wet to go out much and lately he hasn't WANTED to go out, and I am so not in the mood to push it...I figure everything will happen in it's own time, even the potty. So whatever.
I'm trying this whole new "laissez-faire" approach to my life, because I just tend to get too stressed and it's pointless. Now to find the fine line of slackerdom and over-stressed...there has to be a middle ground, right??

Rowan also woke us at 4:45 this morning and even though we got him back to sleep till 7:30 or so, I was awake and unable to get back to sleep after that.

That explains my loopiness this morning. I think I'll stop :blahing your ears (eyes?) off and go take care of that laundry I was talkin' about. :wink

elsanne

01-04-2007, 07:02 AM

Hi guys--Welcome, Ducette mama! Come on in, the water's fine!

Running off to the airport today! Sooo excited, please please think of me sometimes today and wish me luck through the houston airport. I do not have a stroller.

jacqueline--enchiladas are made thusly:

take tortillas, cold, dip them in the enchilada sauce, both sides. Throw it into hot skillet with oil, flip quickly. Pull out after a moment, roll up with stuffin, that's an enchilada. Make four, pour more sauce over them, cut up lettuce, tomato, and sour cream on top. Mmmm. That's a serving.
Glad to see you back, btw!!!

Mama Faery

01-04-2007, 07:49 AM

Mmm, enchiladas! :yum I had fish tacos last night, actually.
Good luck at the airport Elsanne!
Toddler whining for toast ("NOW PLEASE!!" :eyesroll Even though I JUST put it in the toaster) so gotta go.

Jacqueline

01-04-2007, 09:03 AM

I was typing a nice reply and then G clicked on something and I can't find it! Oh well.

To sum up, I got mega sick on Monday night, languished on the couch on Tuesday and then talked to my naturopathic docs back in Texas and they have me on a little program to keep me more balanced (using vitamins and homeopathic remedies). So far, I'm feeling okay and just trying to eat high-protein snacks when I get hungry (which is often). I'm at 9 1/2 weeks and with G, the worst was yet to come at this point. So, I'm trying to take it day by day.

Emmalola-sorry you've been sickies, too. :hug Looks like we'll be August Mamas together, too! We will get through this part.

Sherri-I am in awe of your ability to multi-quote! I haven't even figured out how to single quote and I've been on this board for 3 years! Albeit, I'm a lightweight compared to all you sr. members :bow

Well, much more to respond to, as usual, but G needs some attention before he clicks me somewhere I don't want to go!

A&L+1

01-04-2007, 09:21 AM

It’s heartsick days for me recently so I’ve been a bit MIA. I have been reading most days and, in my head at least, cheering on all my maymamafriends as it seems a lot of us have had struggles lately.

So, my mom is in the hospital. She has a cold and she stayed in bed for the last three or four days. Well, as you know, my dad is sick enough that he really depends on her to be his nurse and since she was sick he finally called my brother and asked for help. I guess he had been eating whatever was left in the house, which wasn’t much after the holidays, and had run out of food. When my brother went over there he couldn’t get my mom to wake up or stay awake. He called an ambulance and they admitted her. So far the million tests have shown everything to be normal except that her heart rate periodically drops into the 30s (the low end of normal for someone of her age/fitness is 60bpm). So, pacemaker time? Viral infection of the heart? We hope to find out more today.

Of course, I want to but probably won’t fly to Michigan right now. Alison is due in 2.5 weeks.

Final litany of whiney-butt issues: We’re not ready for the baby at all. We’re having a house warming party on Saturday and we just may change it into an unpacking party. I have a cold :fever: :sneeze: and won’t take time off work because I am saving time for the baby. As it is I will probably take only 1-2 weeks after the birth, because I am going to be the SAHM for May/June and I need all the vacation pay I can get. We are going to England for a obligatory family event in late March, but I want to go to the Midwifery Today conference in mid-March and I just need to accept that I can’t leave Alison that soon after the birth and we can’t afford the cost and vacation time to do both things. Actually, it’s that last one that has me pissed which causes me to feel pathetically self-absorbed, have a panic about what is going on with my mom, obsessively call her room even though no one is answering, and then end the panic by posting this here.

Sorry about the emotional unloading but it has helped to write this.

Hi Nuggets!
Welcome, Ducette Mama!
Easy Flying, Els!

Are we sharing May Mama Gift exchange info yet? I am dying to rave about the gift I was given, but I do want to wait until most people have their gifts – may be we can discuss it at the end of the month?

Love and hugs to everyone. I will get back to more you-focused posts soon, I hope.

mamameg

01-04-2007, 09:22 AM

:lol about the enchiladas. I usually make them in the oven, but don't make them often because I feel they turn out too dry, so now of course I CAN'T WAIT to make them the way Elsanne describes. Funny, you'd think I'd have figured this out already, since the Mexican place we always order from makes them the authentic way and I always order them because they are so moist and delish! :duh

Regarding resistant toddlers, a trick I learned form a friends is setting a timer. This works wonders in our house for transition into a new activity (you know, you one *I* want us to be doing :wink ). I ask her to do something, she replies with "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo...", I excitedly say, "Okay, not right now, but let's do it in 2 minutes - I'll set the timer." Her usually response is "HO-Kay!" and then when the timer beeps, she cooperatively moves into whatever it is that needs to be done. I was shocked it worked so well the first time (I did it randomly one day out of desperation), but now it's a fave in my Bag O' Mama Tricks.

Too much TV? I have no idea what you all are talking about. We've spend the entire two weeks Mia's been out of school crafting, dancing, singing and creating together. I don't know what's wrong with YOU slackers!

:wink :duck:

Sarah'sMama

01-04-2007, 09:26 AM

<-------------------------Anyone notice my DDDDC?

:jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers: :jumpers:

So whodunnit? Fess up! I feel so loved!!!!

MCSarahB!!!Are you back yet?

Jacqueline and emmalola, major hugs coming atcha for the m/s. No fun at all. I've read it peaks arond 8 weeks, so I'm hoping Jacqueline is through the worst.

Now I'm *totally* hungry for enchiladas. Where's the salivating smilie?

Els-thinking of you and your journeys today. Strength and calmness be yours!

Heather, I don't think I've remembered to offer my support with your sick children. :( I'm sorry 'bout that. I love your avatar, btw.

Sarah'sMama

01-04-2007, 09:33 AM

It’s heartsick days for me recently so I’ve been a bit MIA. I have been reading most days and, in my head at least, cheering on all my maymamafriends as it seems a lot of us have had struggles lately.

So, my mom is in the hospital. She has a cold and she stayed in bed for the last three or four days. Well, as you know, my dad is sick enough that he really depends on her to be his nurse and since she was sick he finally called my brother and asked for help. I guess he had been eating whatever was left in the house, which wasn’t much after the holidays, and had run out of food. When my brother went over there he couldn’t get my mom to wake up or stay awake. He called an ambulance and they admitted her. So far the million tests have shown everything to be normal except that her heart rate periodically drops into the 30s (the low end of normal for someone of her age/fitness is 60bpm). So, pacemaker time? Viral infection of the heart? We hope to find out more today.

Of course, I want to but probably won’t fly to Michigan right now. Alison is due in 2.5 weeks.

Final litany of whiney-butt issues: We’re not ready for the baby at all. We’re having a house warming party on Saturday and we just may change it into an unpacking party. I have a cold :fever: :sneeze: and won’t take time off work because I am saving time for the baby. As it is I will probably take only 1-2 weeks after the birth, because I am going to be the SAHM for May/June and I need all the vacation pay I can get. We are going to England for a obligatory family event in late March, but I want to go to the Midwifery Today conference in mid-March and I just need to accept that I can’t leave Alison that soon after the birth and we can’t afford the cost and vacation time to do both things. Actually, it’s that last one that has me pissed which causes me to feel pathetically self-absorbed, have a panic about what is going on with my mom, obsessively call her room even though no one is answering, and then end the panic by posting this here.

Sorry about the emotional unloading but it has helped to write this.
Love and hugs to everyone. I will get back to more you-focused posts soon, I hope.

Aw, Lisa, we must've been posting at the same time. You're so stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have nothing but :Hug and support for you mama. You and all of your family will be in my thoughts. I can't even imagine the stress and feelings of confliction you're enduring right now. Much strength coming to you, too my friend.

Too much TV? I have no idea what you all are talking about. We've spend the entire two weeks Mia's been out of school crafting, dancing, singing and creating together. I don't know what's wrong with YOU slackers!

:wink :duck:

Yeah, I'm with meg, I cannot recite the lines from Cinderella in my sleep, oh no I cannot! In my defense, we did go out for a walk and color with sidewalk chalk yesterday, so that was a refreshing change of pace.

mamameg I'm glad you're posting more these days! You have so much to contribute! As do all of you!

And lets chat about our gifties ASAP! I'm dying to know what everyone got!

jstar

01-04-2007, 09:35 AM

here is my morning cuppa post :lol isaac HATES the morning dipe too. i usually have to ease him into that one. WHY anyone would want to sit in a wet dipe is beyond me

good luck elsanne!

i'm glad to hear the lentil has few accidents now. that is awesome.

i was supposed to get up early and get to dh's office to do something before i go to mine. and i basically have to work until 9pm tonight with this public meeting. i've been told they are super pi$$ed off and i am skeeered!!!!!!! (environmental justice issues) thankfully i look pregnant so maybe that will make them be nicer to me!!! ha. probably not.

my biggest fear about being a sahm is that i will languish in laziness and not do anything. i'm not good at setting my own 'schedule' i work an office job and don't even go to work until 9 or 10 because it is too freakin flexible. ie. i am lazy. if i worked at a place that required an 8am showup i'd be there at 8:15 every day. but as is....i just show up when i manage to get there and i feel like a loser. :lol so if i have no set place to be every day i don't know what i am going to do/be like :shrug: i am going to have to schedule mucho playdates i know that! just to get me out of the house so i don't turn into some isolated lump of depression. (big fear o mine)

ok time for that diaper wrestling.

just read some new posts below mine. sorry your mom is in the hospital and you can't be there lisa :( that is so hard!

mamameg

01-04-2007, 10:02 AM

Lisa, we crossposted. :Hug I'm so sorry your mom is sick and you have so much else going on. Due in 2.5 weeks! OMG! So soon! I so did NOT feel ready for Jett to come, but you know what? He was born, and we somehow made it. You will, too. :twothumbs

Sherri - I contribute so much!?!?!?! Wow, I feel all warm and glowey inside. :love

Jacqueline, hope you start feeling better and that the worst is NOT ahead of you, but behind you.

ili hp;pppcx;f/cdlfy <--------- Mia says HI. :lol

Good travels, Els!

mcsarahb

01-04-2007, 10:38 AM

Hi gals- sorry I've been MIA. Got back Monday night late, crazy day Tuesday unpacking, etc., water heater broke Tuesday night, first day of meetings/organization/loose ends at school yesterday, and today is finally somewhat sane. :dizzy:

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. Hugs and strength to you. It sounds like your plate is as full as it could possibly get. :(

TONS more to respond to, but must make a phone call to Maine about a potential summer job. More later!

I want to hear about the prezzies, too! I luuurved mine...so beautiful.

Sarah

nuggetsmom

01-04-2007, 11:36 AM

Crafting with my kids frustrates me since I don't actualy get to do any. I got a cool Illuminated lettering kit and I have yet to use it because as soon as I take out paper and pencils I hear demands for - paint, stickers, crayons, paper and scissors, glue, stamps AAAAAHHHHHHHH. Although I have been experimenting with using my journal to draw and color in while they are busy with their thing. That sort of works out.

I got a playstation for Christmas with a dance dance Revolution setup so I can exersize indoors. Videos annoy me for some reason, but now I have mixed feelings about having a playstation in the house that the kids could potentially get games for etc. Of course I don't get to do DDR if they are around so that is hopelessly frustrating. I need a second TV so they can watch that while I do DDR! LOL!

The TV thing is just on my mind because I have pretty clear limits on how much is enough and now I turn it on so I can get J dressed and then in the afternoon because I am tired of singing and crafting etc. Actually I wonder if they have a kids singalong for the playstation... :LOL
Then I let them watch while I fix dinner. The problem is in the massive whining fit N puts on when I turn it off. J actually is not very zoned out by it. She wanders off after about 10 minutes.

Then for another thing, N wants to go to playdates at other kids houses and some of them have the TV on all the time. I have a no TV on a playdate rule since the point is to play together. If it is a really long playdate, I don't mind if they watch TV at the end. She does that sometimes at one of her friends houses but she will be there for literally 5 hours and they end up being played out at the end. But not the whole time, but I have no idea how to say something to this dad. I guess we can have playdates over here but I actually don't like it that the parents hang out here. I don't want to play! Except with some friends that is, but mostly I don't want to play! I want to think my own though. OH, my time appears to be up.
I will stop ranting now while I think of other short posts to get my post count up.
:wink

Mama Faery

01-04-2007, 11:54 AM

Just wanted to give you BIG :Hugs, Lisa. I wish we could do more! :(

Yeah, I had some awesome prezzies from my secret santa who was....Jacqueline!! :hug Woo hoo!!! I spilled the beans!
I got prettie nail stuff (that sparkly polish RULES--I've used it on my toenails twice already!) and chocolate, and art from sweet G...it was just a wonderful gifty full of pampering nail and chocolate goodies! Thank you thank you thank you! :heartbeat :loveeyes: :heartbeat
Did I mention CHOCOLATE!? :drool

So, what did everyone else get so far?? :D

Oops, more later, Rowan is waking from his nap (TOO EARLY I might add! :irked:)

nuggetsmom

01-04-2007, 08:06 PM

Hugs to Lisa- this is scary because your dad is also sick and doubly so since you can't go out there. That would put me in a major funk. It sounds like your brother is near so that is something anyway. I wish there was something more I could do, and if you think of something, let me know.

Jacqueline

01-05-2007, 07:51 AM

Renae-I'm glad you liked the present! :loveeyes: I have to say, I was suffering from an inferiority complex, hearing about all the homemade gifties going around. I tried to pick out stuff that I find fun, but don't treat myself to often enough! So glad you enjoyed it!

I got a wonderful pair of hand-knitted half-gloves from Jacqueline (nugget). They are great but I will have to wait until it gets a bit warmer here! Right now, I need all the extra warmth on my digits I can get!:wink Thank you!

Lisa, a :hug for you. Sorry you're having to deal with all this at once. You will get through it! Vent here anytime.

Sarah-welcome back! Coming back from being gone is a lot of work! Take your time.

On the 2nd baby front-when did you feel your baby move? I could swear I've had a few flutters that could be baby movements, but I'm just shy of 10 weeks yet! Is that possible? I didn't figure out I was really feeling G until like four months. Maybe I'm just noticing more uterine stretching this time? I haven't had my first midwife visit yet, but should this month. Since we waited so long, I'm hoping to hear the heartbeat when we go....seems like that's possible around 10 weeks? (just with a hand-held doppler) We did decide on a homebirth midwife before Christmas, though. She's one of only two in the area, but we really liked her.

We woke up to a fresh blanket of snow this morning. I guess this means we won't be driving today (since dh's car is the one with front-wheel drive, and it's too much of a hassle to switch the whole car seat thing when I really don't have any plans.) We'll see if it will have cleared up by lunchtime so that we can run some errands. It's very frustrating having a pretty worthless (in snow) car in this state. If we didn't still owe 2 1/2 years of $$$ on it, we'd get rid of it in a minute.

Well, I better go eat something and soon. Happy Friday everyone!

jstar

01-05-2007, 09:02 AM

i felt flutters SO early this time. around that same time...10 weeks or so. i felt it mostly when i was driving and i could feel pressure pushing out against my pants. i felt pressure or a lot of sweeping motions. i'm only starting to feel more 'kicks' in the last week or so. and i bet you'll be able to hear the heartbeat :heartbeat. i don't know why but wow your 10 weeks has FLOWN by. well, probably not to you :lol

my meeting was ok but intense. one lady cried. one lady was super aggressive and was grilling me. and i think they'll want me to go back again next month and answer more questions. joy! this is the biggest project in the region (new i-5 bridge from oregon to washington). it is crazy big. and i have to finish my other big freeway project by the end of the month. i really feel :dizzy:

in super sweet news i told one of isaac's teachers that i was taking him out of school next summer (or mostly out of school). and she said she would watch him on the weekends for me if i ever needed it/needed a break. i am AMAZED. i was not sure she actually *liked* him. she's really great. he is a really spiritied child and she's been giving me tips on things to do with him (how to handle situations). and she gives me lots of feedback. we were talking about the biting and screaming things and i just told her i don't even know how to respond to the screaming

i decided to find out the sex. i've been waffling all over the place. but i think it would be good for isaac if we start talking in terms of his baby __. when i talk about baby brother or baby sister he saids 'two' and i think he doesn't get the either or concept. he thinks he is getting both :lol we're going to take him to the u/s so i wonder if he'll 'get it' or if it will be too abstract.

KKmama

01-05-2007, 09:15 AM

I was going to post more (and more topically), but the computer crashed and ate my message.

Can I just say I am a little tired of snow? We were supposed to get 1-2" in this latest dump, but we've gotten at least 8" at our house. The old crap hasn't melted yet, and our street is really bad (my friends say the worst they've seen in Boulder--seriously, there was no visible pavement till yesterday, when it degenerated into a rutted slushy/icy mess). We had to shovel out the ice dam in the gutter (a friend's little boy slipped and fell in the enormous slush/water puddle yesterday and was drenched... fortunately, they were on their way home).

Our trash/recycling day is Thurs (Fri after holidays). Two weeks ago, it wasn't collected because of the first big storm. Last week, we assumed they'd miss it again and didn't put it out (because of the 2nd big storm, the condition of our street, etc.), but a truck went down the street in chains. Now the truck is out there, stuck on the other side of the street (in chains). We're drowning in recycling.

School was cancelled, obviously. Today, T was supposed to celebrate his 1/2 birthday, and so I have 20 banana bread muffins sitting around (anyone want one? :wink). I guess we'll get out the playdough, make popcorn, race up and down the hallway, shovel the walk (again).

Jacqueline

01-05-2007, 10:27 AM

Hey, KK. I'm right there with ya on the snow. And we've had way less than you! Send one of those muffins my way, why don't ya? :wink Popcorn and playdough is a good idea, too.

Hang in there!

Sarah'sMama

01-05-2007, 03:36 PM

Just giving us a bump!

I'm going out for dinner with a friend toniight. Words cannot explain my excitement! I soooo need a girls night out! :dizzy:

TurboClaudia

01-05-2007, 05:12 PM

i feel like such a lame a**... i fully intended to mail out my may mama gift this week but getting out with these two to do actual stuff is proving to be more difficult than i thought. will sneak out to the post office this weekend, hopefully..

and for the mamas of two, how the he** did you get the little one to sleep more than 20 minutes at a time with all the toddler noise and loudness? yesterday, S had multiple 20-ish minute naps, one longer 40-ish minute nap, and then was soooooooooo tired, he crashed around 830 and slept for 4 hours straight and i had to wake him up to give my boobs an emptying. he even fell asleep after the first side and i switched him to the other side just to take the "top off" of that breast. then he woke every couple of hours during the night as usual to eat. and today again, he didn't nap for more than 15-20 minutes at a time until 245ish, when i put them both in the car because they both needed naps and i needed starbucks. they're both still asleep 1.5 hours later, but i think not for much longer: i hear squeaking from the phone/monitor.

nice ddddc, sherri. :thumb:

fiddle, sorry i couldn't talk last night. double poop emergency and then cranky-tired-pants-mister-S... let's talk soon. :hug

~c

orangecanoe

01-05-2007, 05:52 PM

Lisa---what a tough time. I can just hear how you wish you can be in both places at once. Thinking of your family and your growing family and hoping there is good news about your mom soon. *hugs*

TC--I did a lot of toddler confinement to rooms distant from napping babe. That and when the weather was nice, E's morning nap was always in the stroller on the way to/from/at the park. I think I lucked out that C is not quite so noisy and very patient to amuse herself while I get E down for a nap. New babes change how they nap anyway from the cat naps to 45 min ones to longer stretches...

Sherri-- :wink :duck: gno!--fun!

I completely forgot what I came here to say...one of those days I guess.

elsanne

01-06-2007, 11:04 AM

Hi everybuggy!

I am in Burque now, enjoying my first internet time since I got here. All is well and we are about to have christmas #2.

Lisa, I got my prezzie and I LOVE it! (She sent me a book I had mentioned an interest in, plus several other fun little things. The magnetic bracelet is awesome and sol and I both love playing with it.)
I too am sending you some centeredness and strength because it is so hard to be far away from loved ones when they are suffering.

Claudia, I had a hard time getting out, indeed I could not imagine it, until pretty recently. Then, it becomes a coping technique all it's own.

much love to all and excitement thinking about jacqueline's and jessica's pregnancies...

xoxo
e

mcsarahb

01-06-2007, 02:03 PM

I think I never wished Renae a happy birthday. :bag: Happy Birthday, Renae! Glad it was eventually a good one. :)

I just finished planting some bulbs I've been meaning to plant since September. Oops. I think they will be fine, though. Good to be able to do some yardwork in January. It's about 50 and NOT raining today!

Claudia, thinking of you. I can't imagine 2. Strength and patience to you, mama!

Jstar - your project sounds humongoid. You are such a bada$$ working mama! Glad the meeting is over and didn't kill you. ;)

My lovely prezzie was from Sherri, who got me a bee-yoo-ti-ful handmade mug and some delicious organic coffee. Perfect since DH got me my very first coffeemaker for Christmas! And the mug is so pretty I display it on the shelf beside the sink; it can't go in a dark cabinet! :lol Thanks, Sherri! :loveeyes:

Tonight is drinks with some girlfriends...can't wait! Hope you had fun last night, Sherri!

OK, must go attend to the toddler.

*mwah*

Sarah

emmalola

01-06-2007, 03:20 PM

giftie- I received a lovely mushroom timer thing, very japanese chic, just up my ally, from the oh, so lovely McSarahB. And some stickers so cool, I forbade the lentil from touching them. They are definitely mommy stickers.

Lisa, you are going through so much right now. {{hug}} I'm sorry- it's all so difficult! sigh.

claudia- solo with two? napping? yikes! I wish I could offer some sage advice, but I'm empty.

KK- I hear you on the snow too. Holy cow, are we done with snow. We have gotten like two deliveries of mail in the past two weeks. The garbage was picked up, but the recycling wasn't so we're floating in cans and plastic. And since it's the architectural style here to have flat roofs, everyone we know has now developed leaky roofs. Not us, thankfully, but still. jiminy! We're just waiting for ours to start. Too much snow, but at least it feeds the parched earth. at least.

baby movements? I would like to feel them sooner- anything to reassure me that all this nausea isn't for naught. bleh.

orangecanoe

01-06-2007, 03:48 PM

I felt E kickign away at 11-12 wks or so compared to 18ish w/ C. Totally fits with her always on the move personality.

We got the most adorable ornament and some handmade isaccstar soap....thus my rampant present sniffing. :lol I was good and that was the first present I opened I Christmas morning! :wink

No snow here, but like, um, 70! degrees!! I had the window open and a breeze blowing through. Felt like September!

Sarah--I made DH go out and plant some bulbs on Christmas Eve! Drinks out sounds wonderful! Hope all goes well with settling into routines with school starting up again!

Elsanne--so I'm guessing you survived the airport w/o stroller...can't even imagine it! Hope things in nuevo are good!

Oh how I love weekends. I'm still slogging through the decluttering and we got a new sofa and chair and a half this week so that room looks good, but the messes have migrated elsewhere. Guess with the warmer weather, I'm just getting a jump on my spring cleaning.

Question since Elsanne is slacking these days....

What are you kiddos into these days? C is loving coloring, letters/numbers/spelling, dressing up in as many outfits a day as she has opportunity to pull from her dresser... Fave food is hands down Annie's "mac and cheezers wheezers" and red/orange/yellow pepper slices and any kind of dip.

KKmama

01-06-2007, 04:47 PM

Okay, I am coming here breathlessly to admit that I have just *finished* my May Mama Secret Santa gift (major :bag:, I know). Unfortunately, the UPS store is closed, as is the post office, so Monday morning it goes out. Lots of love (and craziness) went into it. I haven't received mine yet, which karmically, at least, seems completely fair. So you May Mama who hasn't received it yet, major apologies. I sure hope you like it!

We went sledding today. Got out the mega toboggan from my childhood (my dad spent his early childhood in Minnesota, and it shows). The kids didn't like the steep bumpy hill, so we went to a flatter one (at which point, Z and L fell asleep). So dh and T sledded happily, I sat in the car with the sleeping little ones watching and busily working on my MMSS thang. :thumb

We have gotten 5' of snow in just over 2 weeks. (Note that that is feet, not inches.) Fortunately, it's only ~2' deep in our yard, but our street becomes a bigger and bigger mess.

Mvmt: each one was earlier (I think because one knows what it feels like and doesn't think, "Oh, it's just gas.") :wink

TC, we keep the sleeping small one and the big one separated during naps (or I just nurse through the nap with the babe on the nursing pillow). With T, I have always had special "big boy" things I do during the nap. He knows that if the toddler/baby/whomever is awakened, the fun stuff goes away.

nuggetsmom

01-06-2007, 08:47 PM

I can hardly remember how I managed the nap but I think that at that time the Leappad was special and N played with that or with the pixter while I got J down and then I would give N special attention by reading to her or something like that., Also there was more TV and the threat of TV withheld in those days. J also did lots of napping in a sling or Moby because one a day was about all the patience N had for a sibling nap. I don't think they even napped at the same time unless maybe in the car.
J still seems to have a hard time with if .... then .... so that is frustrating my life to no end right now. If you get dressed, then we can go, seems to be a foreign concept and she throws a fit because she wants to go out.
I am super tired for some reason today so I am going to go now.

fiddlefern

01-07-2007, 01:12 AM

Hi everymama,

Yes I am posting near midnight. I have had this CRAZY nesting streak in the evenings. Oh my is the group home kitchen clean since I was at work last night! Tonight I got out all the baby stuff and put it into piles to be washed, and stuck it on the crib. Both nights, I have been ravenous at midnight. Last night it was more than half a frozen pizza, tonight it is fish sticks and an orange and split pea soup.

Well, my karma is pretty bad because I have also not sent out my gift, but have received mine. Monday I have to turn in paperwork to the main office and have L's speach therapy, but hopefully L won't nap too late and I can get to the post office before it closes!!! By the way, I got a WONDERFUL knit hat. It is multicolored in jewel tones. My secret santa is still secret because there was no name on the package. I have my guess about who it is though.....

So many people I'd like to reply to...

Claudia: no prob about the phone call- I'll try ya during L's nap probably Monday. :) (Tomorrow I MUST clean the bathroom and do Luke's bath and then we have a lunch mtg then nap then church).

I really appreciate all the naps with 2 ideas- my time is coming!

Thinkin of Emily and Jacq in their first trimester, Jstar in the 2nd, and my gestation-mate Allison nearing the end...thinking good thoughts for both of Lisa's parents

jstar congrats on surviving your public meeting- eeps.

a kajillion more interesting things other people have said that I'd like to reply to, but my brain is becoming mush and pretty soon the screen is going to start swimming before my eyes, so off to beddy-bye for me. Love to all!

elsanne

01-07-2007, 07:49 AM

Elsanne--so I'm guessing you survived the airport w/o stroller...can't even imagine it! Hope things in nuevo are good!

I made it! And it wasn't even too bad! There were two moments of kind of difficulty and only one of them would have been made easier with a stroller. Where you get off the plane and where you go through customs/immigration is like, a million toddler miles away. That was kind of hard. The other moment was the "why must I stay in one place and not crawl in the aisle and why must I keep my seatbelt on/tray table up nearing landing?"

We had our "christmas" here yesterday and it ROCKED! I am kind of in a daze with the fun consumerism rampant here. My SIL (who came & visited post partum) is a master shopper and got us some really awesome "real" toys: stainless steel toy kitchenware, porcelain tea set that doesn't look too breakable, little waldorf-esque dollies...all at Target, post-christmas sales! Incredible. Plus lots of fun clothing and now both children are transfixed by their mega-plasma-whatever tv. :thumb go U.S.!

Anyway we're having fun.
Sol is really into "ooh-la-las" (dresses and skirts, fancier the better). She loves turkey hot dogs. She loves to crawl and climb and jump from anything. She ADORES cats, especially ones amenable to her mawling.

mcsarahb

01-07-2007, 10:33 AM

HA - "Ooh-la-las," how incredibly cute. I keep wanting Lily to get interested in her fancy dress-up dresses but she doesn't dig changing clothes yet. She likes the scarves and necklaces, anything she can drape over herself quickly, but the getting-on-and-off of clothing is beyond her frustration level.

Otherwise, she loves drawing and coloring (recently started making actual recognizable things such as faces and limbs), letters/spelling, any kind of card collection where she can play "memory," still loves dolls and stuffed animals and her little stroller, and stringing beads or pop beads. Also of course she could spend 8 hours a day having someone read to her. Oh, and food: um, nothing? No really, she is so picky. But she usually will eat pancakes, cheese (a treat), and frozen fruit. A select few cereals, occasional deli meat sandwiches. I just asked her what her favorite food was, and she said, "chocolate." Yeah.

Elsanne, glad you made it ok and second Christmas was grand.

We just ordered a fish tank - did I mention this already? - and hopefully it will come soon. Lily got some Christmas money from the grandparents with the demand that it be *spent* so we decided to get a small tank with a couple of guppies and an aquatic frog. Yippee! I think DH and I are more excited than Lily is. :shy

Oh, mamas, I'm not really looking forward to starting school. I mean, of course I'm glad that I'm in school, and doing what I'm doing in general, but vacation has been sooooooooooooooooooooooo nice. It'll be hard to go back to the daily grind. At least this quarter I have a full day off with nanny coverage - maybe I can actually get most of my homework done that day so weekends won't be so crazy.

OK, pop bead frustration means I'm outtie -

Sarah

Mama Faery

01-08-2007, 07:39 AM

Remember, "pulque in, pulque out"?
Well, apparently that is a sound theory for Meade, too. :gross
So I had a bottle of Bunratty's Meade in the fridge last night, so I figured, I was having a ROUGH Sunday (just generally grumpy, Rowan was being :nut, cat puked, worked till late Saturday night, then at church the topic was really not happy-making (he talked about Saddam Hussein, man! :( Depressing stuff) so I would have a glass, get a buzz on...um, no. I had a HUGE glass (darn those beautiful wine glasses a friend made for us!) and got a bit too drunk, too fast. :o I underestimated my tolerance, I guess. So all was well until I got into bed and the room started spinning. Ugh ugh ugh.

Anyway, kind of hung-over this morning, feeling really :bag: :Sheepish: and hoping Rowan stays in bed for just a *teensy* bit longer! :shy Good thing the most pressing errand on our to-do list is to go to the grocery store. We have no more half & half! :bigeyes
(I am finishing this at 9:30am...Rowan woke up at 9:15!! I dozed for an hour and I feel like a new woman! haha)

Let's see what Rowan is into (great to hear about other toddlers, btw!); he loves to draw and put stickers on paper (and everything!) and then tape them onto the wall. :) He's also starting to do circles, spirals, and faces. :) Awesome! He loves cooking in his play kitchen, we got him a wooden sushi set (Melissa & Doug is the BEST! :thumb) so he'll pull it out and make sushi, and he also likes the tin tea set and serves us tea all the time.
Dress-up's not huge here, he also likes scarves and necklaces and his tiger ears and tail, but actual "dress up" not so much.
Books, books books! He likes to be read to, but he often also sits on the couch and says "Mamee read!" (Let me read), and he looks at books alone! :D
He's also way into dancing to music, playing with his instruments, dancing with us (well, he holds our hands while he jumps on the couch! :bag: I honestly don't care if he does it, I just worry he's gonna fly off and hit the coffee table sometime. Eek!), and he is starting to *sing along* with songs he knows!
He also likes movies. :bag: He won't sit through much, but he likes the TV on sometimes, PBS or Curious George or Cars on in the background. Haha.

I thought I had more to say but I started this at 7am so I am going to finish it now. I hope you all are having a great start of the week! :grouphug

It is POURING rain here. Honestly, the not-Winter is creeping me out. Like Heather said, it's been like 60-70 here this weekend, too! :bigeyes

Miss Juice

01-08-2007, 07:46 AM

I'm still here! I just got too far behind and I feel like I have to read every post before I can participate. Lame, I know, but I have this "thing" about knowing what's going on. But now I know how to make enchiladas without using the over, so it's all worthwhile :lol

i've had a couple of days lately with isaac where my frustration levels have been so high i'm thinking 'i can't BELIEVE i am having another one' we've had some difficult times. he is SO hard sometimes to deal with. and if 3 is worse than 2 as i often hear i am really not looking forward to it. and i just feel like i am doing this whole thing 'wrong' some days. kwim?

dear god i hope the 2nd one is chill.
Right there with you on the frustration. Allison is so adamant and stubborn, and I know it's just what she's supposed to do right now, but it drives me batty. Especially if I am trying to get three kids out the door, and she's throwing a fit because *I* got her coat out of the closet and she wants to "do it by myself". So we have to put it back IN the closet, so she can get it out... and in my experience the second is chill. Until they are two, and then they're just two.

TClaudia, I'm taking deep breaths for you. It's such a demanding tranisition. How is it going this week?

Can I just say I am a little tired of snow? We were supposed to get 1-2" in this latest dump, but we've gotten at least 8" at our house.
I'd be tired of it too, but right now I'm mostly jealous. It's January in Cleveland, and it was 58 degrees the other day. Just wrong, I say.

Question since Elsanne is slacking these days....

What are you kiddos into these days? C is loving coloring, letters/numbers/spelling, dressing up in as many outfits a day as she has opportunity to pull from her dresser... Fave food is hands down Annie's "mac and cheezers wheezers" and red/orange/yellow pepper slices and any kind of dip.

Mine spends a lot of time throwing tantrums because I did something she wanted to do herself. Like the coat thing, and heaven help me if I flush the toilet at the wrong time. 'cuz there's really no way to unflush a toilet, you know?

She LOVES to dress up, or run around naked. Drawing on anything that isn't paper (wall, particularly).

Sol is really into "ooh-la-las" (dresses and skirts, fancier the better).
Allison calls them "ta-dahs" and does a ta-dah spin every time she puts one on. Yay for safe travel! It's all about the toddler's mood, isn't it?

That's all for me for now. Oh, check out the link in my sig. Elsanne made me do it :loveeyes: I have both up right now, and I'd like to know which format is easier for people to comment on, so any feedback would be appreciated.

Also I have an idea for a swap - I'll post at the yg.

Miss Juice

01-08-2007, 07:48 AM

Renae, happy birthday a week late. I posted my novel at the same time you did, and it took me almost as long to write! I had a run to preschool in the middle :lol and I wanted to say I live for your morning post. Mmmm.

jstar

01-08-2007, 09:45 AM

good to 'see' ya miss juice. i'm glad i'm not the only with with high frustration levels sometimes.

what is isaac into? well he is watching charlie and the chocolate factory right now. absolute new favorite movie besides nacho libre which we rented and he talks about all the time (imo it could only appeal to a 2yo). and the way he says chocolate factory is :lol shock -o-lat fakory. very drawn out. he is not into letters or numbers yet despite my pressure :wink but he loves me to read to him. he could stand next to me at the sink and pour water from one thing to the next 'doing dishes' for hours and often continues past the point where i am done. i don't know how in to drawing/art he is because he does so much at school i never do that activity at home :bag: cute projects are sent home on a continuous basis. jumping on the bed. jumping on the couch. :irked: putting his own pants on. MOPPING. i give him a bucket of water and he gleefully mops the basement floor. the problem comes when he wants to do the kitchen and i don't really want puddles all over the wood floor. tantrums ensue. VACUUMING. highly exciting activity and since our vaccum was making about-to=burst-into-flames smells i went and bought the dyson on saturday. i have never been so in love with an appliance :heartbeat something i vowed to do before i lost my income since you almost need a new mortgage for it. and i hate vacuuming so isaac makes it a little more fun. trucks trucks trucks. firetrucks and garbage trucks especially. backhoes.

we might get snow here this week. and even if it doesnt snow it is supposed to be in the teens at night and upper 20s in the day. brrrrrrrrrrrr. oh my poor natural gas bill. and i worry about the plants i got in the ground last fall that aren't established yet.

i should, as usual, be showering. it was a nice relaxing weekend of taking down christmas decorations and cleaning and dusting and general decluttering. and then i had time for crafty things. i am painting a table and a toy box for isaac. yesterday i did the primer. i tried to make this a fun joint activity with him but that didn't work out well. bad idea. and i worked a bit on his quilt for the first time in months. and did some knitting. all in all i am just happy the holidays are over so i can do other things!!!!!!!!!!!

re: the enchiladas. i heat the sauce and dip the tortillas before i roll them up in the dish so i guess i do a combo approach :wink i could eat enchiladas all the time i swear. red or green. so good!

KKmama

01-08-2007, 10:09 AM

I'm sure you will all think that I'm :nut: because all I talk about is weather. Anyway, the wind today is crazy. T was supposed to go on a field trip to the stock show in Denver, but it was cancelled (wind so high--up to 115 mph--the highway is closed). One of our patio chairs blew across our yard. I'm sure part of our fence will blow down. (This is just part of normal life in Boulder.) After it stops blowing, we'll have to reshovel.

I took T to school this morning and put my keys in my coat pocket. Somehow, with the wind, the locked car door slammed shut, with a wad of my coat locked inside the car. The keys were inside that wad. It took me a minute of struggling in vain to realize that I could slip out of my coat, that I wasn't pinned to the car. Went inside, called dh to come and release the coat (and my keys). Then I went to the P.O. to mail my MMSS gifty.

I'm in a super good mood though. All the being outside in the sunshine this weekend did me a world of good.

emmalola

01-08-2007, 10:56 AM

Oh, KK, I'm feeling your weather grief down here. We had to re-shovel this morning after all the wind last night and it was a little discombobulating: "oh, it snowed! Oh, no wait, it didn't, this is just from the wind..."

What is the lentil into: He loves reading. Being read to, really. He could spend the entire day on the couch reading books. We now check them out in bulk from the library. He's learning letters and letter sounds at school, so he likes to identify letters he sees around the house, which is really cute. He loves painting, so that's another good activity to give us a break from reading books. He hates transitions, as usual, so activites like getting him suited up to go outside are tremendously painful. Even though he always has fun once he's made the transition. He's also really into making deals for everything: "I'll make you a deal. We'll skip bath and read three books THEN it's bedtime." great deal, kid. He's still discovering his new play kitchen, probably not so into it because I haven't been cooking much lately. :Puke

on the baby front- we have a meeting tomorrow with the midwives to discuss our possible homebirth. pretty excited!

Enchiladas: I always bake them, if it's a special occasion I will roll them but if we're just trying to get dinner on the table then I make them lasagna style: layer tortillas, filling, cheese and sauce over and over until the pan is full. bake.

Hey elsanne! pm me your contact info!

elsanne

01-08-2007, 01:34 PM

Here I am! Here I am! :hola: pming.

And a big *mwah* to the rest of you!

fiddlefern

01-08-2007, 04:49 PM

I really am reading along and caring about what is going on in everyone's lives.

This, however, is going to be yet another all-about-me post. :o

I am GBS+

I found out about 4 hours ago.

I told the OB that I would be refusing the antibiotics in labor- that I already have a yeast infection, and just couldn't handle the threat of thrush, especially since I already have one kid with major weight/eating issues. Plus I was worried about the risk of my baby having an allergic reaction to the abx. (Which I found out later is more likely than my kid getting sick from the GBS). I didn't mention that I also don't want to be strapped to a stupid IV pole because it would restrict my movement in labor and my labor last time was long enough, thank-you-very-much. (5 days).

She responded that I HAD to have the antibiotics in labor- in fact that I had to have 8 hours of antibiotic drip through an IV (two doses), and that if I refused or if I somehow wasn't in the hospital to receive the drip a full 8 hours before giving birth, that the hospital pediatrition would HOLD MY BABY THERE FOR 48 HOURS to ensure that my baby got a full course of antibiotics and showed no signs of being sick from GBS.

After I hung up, I cried a lot. Then I called Claudia and cried some more. Then I started calling homebirth midwives (thanks, Claudia).

I found one with an opening, who said she might be able to give us a bit of a break on the cost because of the closeness of my due date.

There is one wee little problem:

DH is totally stressed about the money. I am too, I know we're poor, but there are some things that are just more important than money. Like our baby's safety. He really doesn't sound open to the idea AT ALL, but he did agree to meet with the midwives, so that's a start.

OK, I'm gonna spill the beans now about my due date: it's February 2nd. So, I have three and a half weeks (give or take) to convince Tom we need a homebirth, meet with the midwives, prepare my house for the event, and figure out how to finance this crazy escapade.

I don't even WANT to give birth at home. My house is tiny and crowded and carpeted. But at this point I sure as HE!! don't wan't to give birth in a hospital. Sigh. At least I won't have to get up and move somewhere else in the middle of labor. That is if I can talk dh into this whole thing.

Send me your good vibes, mamas!

Mama Faery

01-08-2007, 05:16 PM

Heading out to karaoke with my friend soon, but I just wanted to offer HUGE :Hug :hug :Hugsssss sto dear fiddle.

I hope everything works out, hon. How sucky about the OB and hospital bs. :shake
I wish I had more encouraging things to say, but know that I'm thinking of you and sending many many good thoughts!

TurboClaudia

01-08-2007, 05:18 PM

fiddle: lotsa hugs and other assorted good vibes comin' your way, mama... :hug :dust :dust :dust :hug

~claudia

KKmama

01-08-2007, 05:22 PM

Mega :hugs to Fiddle.

Miss Juice

01-08-2007, 07:20 PM

Oh, Fiddle, the stress!!! :splat at hospital "policy". Mega-hugs to you. My head is spinning just reading your post.

mcsarahb

01-08-2007, 07:31 PM

(((Fiddle))). I'm so sorry. I just called and left a message for one of my school friends who did her whole research project on GBS and recommendations, alternative treatments, etc. I will talk to her about it and get back to you as soon as I can!

Sarah

emmalola

01-08-2007, 08:23 PM

Oh, fiddle. I'm so so sorry- this is the wrong time to be dealing with this crap. so so expletive! I'm sending you all sorts of good, good vibes. I bet you'll have a lot of solutions coming your way after you meet with the homebirth midwife. Is there a birthing center that will work with you?

We have our meeting with the homebirth team tomorrow to decide if this is the right step for us. I'm pretty excited!

fiddlefern

01-08-2007, 11:04 PM

Thanks for the support, everyone. I don't know what I'd do without all of you.

Heather- thanks for the pm. I'll respond soon. :love

Sarah- very interested in the info, especially in case DH totally nixes plan B. We have to make the decision together, so I won't railroad him even though I really want to. So yes, if you are able to, send me whatcha got. (Oh, and regarding the YG stuff, I appreciate what you are expressing :wink).

Emily- we're mtg with our potential midwives tomorrow too. I'll cross my fingers for both of us.

DH needs the computer now to install antivirus software, so I'll sign off.

DucetteMama21842

01-08-2007, 11:32 PM

Oh.. nice.. I forgot to sub... so pages have gone by now...:bag: :hide: :duck: Why oh why do I always do that?

I will update later..

ACTUALLY subbing now.

And thanks everyone for the welcome!

Mama Faery

01-09-2007, 06:19 AM

Danile, hi! I've done that before too. :lol Then I NEVER get caught up. No worries! We're a chatty bunch so we totally understand when some of us aren't fully caught up! :nut

I am actually trying not to be online much today...yeah, right. :eyesroll I have laundry to do, Rowan is largely unsupervised in the other room :bag: and he needs a bath so desperately that we're doing it this morning sometime, because he and DH are going to their first music class of the season tonight!
And I, well, I am going to the gym...to try and undo two nights of drinking. :bag: :hide: :bag:
I think I have said this before but...one should not behave like a rock star if one is not, in fact, a rock star. :bag: :duck:

More :hugs to fiddle. :) Hope the morning brings some clarity!

Elsanne, hope you're enjoying your time in Nuevo...speaking of spanish! My friend (the one I went karaoke-ing with last night!) made an appointment to get tattooed on Saturday, and I am tagging along, and maybe getting something done right underneath my lotus tat (on my right forearm). I am thinking of getting the words "Por Siempre" in pretty script, as part of the mama tat (eventually, someday, I want my right arm to be sleeved)...these words are special in several ways: they mean "for always" and they are part of the lyrics to an AFI song :bag: (something my best friend says is suicide; getting words tattooed on the body! haha)
The lyric:
"Read the lines on the mirror through the lipstick trace:
'Por Siempre'
She said 'I think you're somewhere far away'
To his face"

Anyway, it's a beautiful song. :love Also, it speaks to my Mexican heritage (though I am not a spanish speaker! :bag:) and it is also speaking to the fact that my motherhood is forever, my son is forever mine, and, well, tattoos are forever.
Por Siempre. The words look pretty, too. I like words.

So anyway, if they don't charge me an arm and a leg (dude, I asked them about little wings tattooed on my back and they quoted me $500!!!! :bigeyes Um, no) I may have new ink this weekend.
Way to spend my christmas money. :wink

My friend is getting a hamsa (jewish good luck hand) on her left forearm. Not even sure if I spelled that right.

So anyway, I may be missing some responses, but I am reading and thinking of you all! :grouphug

Off I go to fold dipes. :) Have a great day.

Ugh, I am SO not a rock star. :coffee :lol

And the smilies fear me today, I have abused them so badly! Hah!

jstar

01-09-2007, 11:33 AM

hugs for beth.

more later

Sarah'sMama

01-09-2007, 04:30 PM

Big hugs coming your way, fiddle. :Hug I hope the meeting with the midwives goes well tomorrow, and hopefully it will fill in some gaps for you and your dh as you explore your options. Much love to you. :Hug

KKmama

01-09-2007, 05:34 PM

...one should not behave like a rock star if one is not, in fact, a rock star. :bag: :duck:

:laugh: :rotflmao

Mama Faery

01-10-2007, 05:30 AM

:laugh: :rotflmao

Yeah, yuk it up, there...:wink :lol
Haha! I am so totally feeling more like myself this morning. Coffee at hand, toast for Rowan in the toaster oven, he's actually dressed (in clothes! not pajamas! :banana) and we're both looking forward to our friends coming over for our swap, where my dear friend M. brings her cute DS to play, and I get to leave the house alone for a few hours! Wahoo! I have un-fun errands and fun ones, too (going to the post office to send off some stuff I sold from Half.com, and then to a coffee shop to write in my journal (new year commitment) and perhaps browse the bookstore, too. Yay.

(yeah, even though I went to the gym last night I SHOULD go this morning, too...but I can't. I don't want to. So there. :p)

Last night DH and I watched Lady in the Water (I have a crush on M. Night Shyamalan :loveeyes:) and it was pretty ridiculous, but a lovely story nonetheless. :)
Anyone else see any new(ish) movies lately? We got the Little Mermaid special edition (I have a spcial place in my heart for that movie--memories of freshman year in high school or whenever it came out! I was still living at home, that's all I know) but I think I am more excited about it than Rowan is. :wink

Not much to report, I'm still a little fuzzy-headed, it being not even 7:30 yet, but I wanted to wish all my mamas a wonderful day! :grouphug

PBS is getting really old. Just sayin'. :eyesroll :yawning: Reruns, anyone? Do they even MAKE new Sesame Street episodes anymore??

orangecanoe

01-10-2007, 09:39 AM

Renae---methinks you need to come to Philly and we can have an m. night movie fest and I could take you to some of the places where they were shot. :lol Swap sounds awesome!!

Cold, cold, cold here. So this is what winter is supposed to be! C is still not over her ear infection after 2.5wks...ugh! Going to the chiro this eve....

Sarah'sMama

01-10-2007, 11:51 AM

I got my gifty!!!

KK gave me a be-yoooo-tiful sassy knit scarf! It came on the most snowy-blowy day yet! Maybe we got the snow from you, KK? :lol It so soft and lovely! And some delicious lip-moisturizing-stick with shea butter and all kinds of goodies in it. I have a serious chapstick addiction, how did you know KK? Thank you thank you! It was well worth the wait!!

:banana

Sarah'sMama

01-10-2007, 12:04 PM

My lovely prezzie was from Sherri, who got me a bee-yoo-ti-ful handmade mug and some delicious organic coffee. Perfect since DH got me my very first coffeemaker for Christmas! And the mug is so pretty I display it on the shelf beside the sink; it can't go in a dark cabinet! :lol Thanks, Sherri! :loveeyes:

Glad you liked it Sarah! :loveeyes: And I'm glad it got to you in one piece, the UPS lady lectured me when I told her it was not packed in bubblewrap. :irked: Then I was all paranoid it would be in a thousand pieces when it got to you! And I'm glad your dh got you a coffeemaker, I thought for sure a serious coffee addict would have her own maker. *wipes brow* Phew. I'm glad you liked it. I always feel like a not-very-good-gift-giver.

Emmalola and fiddle-thinking of you today and hoping all is falilng into place for you both.

Lisa-would you care to update us on your parents? I hope I'm not being too nosy, I'm just hopeful things are turning around. How's Alison doing in these last final days?My SIL is over 38 weeks pg with twins and she' is sooo ready to be done!

DucetteMama21842

01-10-2007, 09:44 PM

Well.. I will post finally. It snowed about a foot of snow in my town today. It was a blessing and a curse all at once! Dominic finally felt brave enough to play in it (he was a little freaked out about how cold it was last time) and he built the biggest snowman with DH. It was adorable. (Although to him, his very important help was eating the snow) :lol Isaac has a bad diaper rash and today I am just a little frazzled. It feels like anything that can go wrong- is promptly doing so. Oh well.. things will get better soon. It's just hard to be snowed in because we have a stupid vehicle and I live out in the middle of the boonies! Finally got the boys to sleep and this is my relaxation time... I might sneak on over to myspace in a minute though...:lol

fiddlefern

01-10-2007, 11:05 PM

DucetteMama- I've _heard_ of Lynden, but I don't remember where it is (I grew up in Lacey, WA, by Olympia. :) I'm guessing with all your talk of snow it must be central WA, because I know the I-5 corridor didn't get a ton (or at least Lacey didn't, by family reports today).

I'm crawling on to the computer for a few minutes to give a quick report:

1. Dh and I are sick as dawgs with a tummy bug we got from L. (But he got over it very quickly so I'm hoping we will too).

2. We have decided to have a homebirth. First prenatal is Friday. :love. So excited for the birth, so scared about its implications for the rest of my reality (the family is gonna freak, for a start).

Very curious about Emmalola's midwife mtg...

....crawls off to bed....

DucetteMama21842

01-10-2007, 11:08 PM

Oh no, it's I-5 corridor alright. I'm about two blocks from the canadian border and 5 minutes from the ocean. Bellingham (the bigger city a little south of us) didn't hardly get anything.. it seems like JUST our town that got it. Weird..:dizzy:

TurboClaudia

01-10-2007, 11:10 PM

fiddle... sending you get healthy vibes. call me when you have a few. i have leftover birth kit supplies you are welcome to have. :hug

off to put mr. M to bed. omig*d, we had the worst day today. who replaced my hesitant boy with a mischievious bossy child? :bag:

~claudia

Mama Faery

01-11-2007, 06:10 AM

I don't have a lot of time to post this morning, we are going to visit an old friend who hasn't seen Rowan since he was like 6 months old! :bigeyes We have a weird relationship, or well, it's not even that...I like her a whole lot, but I sometimes feel like I have to be very...erm...delicate around her. :shrug Not even sure if *that* is an accurate description. Long story. Heehee.

Anyway, she lives a stone's throw from Boston so Rowan's been all excited about going to "the Boston" this morning--he even let me get him diapered and dressed! :dropjaw Without drama!! :jaw
I don't know who replaced my sweet gentle boy with this mad, wild, opinionated poopyhead who tantrums if we try to have him do ANYthing we need him to do (diapers, dressing, bedtime, food...even leaving the house has been a trial lately *sigh*)

I have to give him hours of prep time (days even) and then he transitions okay...most of the time. I told him we were going to Boston YESTERDAY, so he was prepared when I talked to him about it today. It just feels like this happened really quickly; the whole "not dealing with transitions" thing. :shrug

I would be dealing with it better if *I* was dealing better in general. I've been thinking my "vitamins" aren't working so well lately. I'm not sleeping well at night, and during the day all I WANT to do is sleep. :( I am a ball of stress simmering just below the surface and I'm WAY too irritable. I hate myself like this. I know what's wrong with me but I am so reluctant to go to my doc and say "hey, the meds ain't working" JUST to have her put me on a NEW cocktail of crap. :gross I also need to make an appointment with my therapist but hey, who has time??? :nut

I feel a mite better to be able to identify my issues but it's still upsetting to me. *sigh* I just want to be not miserable and exhausted all the time, and have my thoughts travel in a linear fashion. I feel like I'm stoned all the time. (and I'm NOT! :lol)

Okay, enough whining about mememe. :wink I love you all and I wish you a fabulous day.

Oh, DucetteMama, two blocks from Canada AND that close to the ocean? Sounds like blliss, even with the snow! :) I'm wondering what Rowan will do when (if!) it finally snows out here.

Fiddle, SO many good thoughts and :Hugs to you! I wish you the BEST homebirth! :heartbeat

emmalola

01-11-2007, 08:34 AM

Fiddle, that's great news! So glad to hear it.

We had a fantastic meeting with the homebirth midwives. They were reassuring, welcoming, nonjudgmental, and very patient with us. It was a really nice meeting, and I'm so excited to have a whole birthing team already. Although it still feels so early to be getting excited about the birth, this is the sort of push I needed. I still don't feel pregnant, just chubby and tired and nauseous, so talking about birth seems almost surreal. But good too- it reminds me that there is a reason for the discomfort and ickiness.

renae- hugs to you. It sounds like there's a lot going on with you right now. remember- take care of yourself first- if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

hehehehe! Today we're meeting the glamorous Elsanne and crew! I can't wait! Yay! The lentil and I had a conversation this morning about little Sol and how she speaks two languages. Trying to get him excited!

I put the boy's hair in a big ponytail this morning. I can't believe how long his hair is. He loves to have his hair in ponytails- he likes to play with it (so gently!) all day. It's very cute. Usually he comes home from daycare with it pulled back from his eyes in a little ponytail on top of his head, girl-style. I can't wait until I can braid it every day- that will be nicer. So cute.

Long post, all about me. typical. Hi!

orangecanoe

01-11-2007, 09:16 AM

EL--:lol but we love hearing about you and the lentil (and sweets!) ...how would we get that if it wasn't all about you! :wink So glad to hear the meeting went well. So excited that you get to meet Elsanne and girlies!

Renae...I totally hear ya on the need for hours of transition time between activities. She's just taken to shouting her displeasure at me anywhere and everywhere. Is there room to move up on the dosage on your meds? Sorry you're feeling crappity these days. *hugs*

TC--how are things with you and your boys??

Is it Friday yet?

elsanne

01-11-2007, 09:29 AM

Hee hee! Going to go see Emmalola! Have you met any other maymamas, emmalola? I can't remember. This will be the longest drive I have ever endeavoured solo with the two girlypoos. We can do it!!

fern, I am SO HAPPY you are going to have a homebirth! meditate, meditate, meditate, know that it is right and put all your thoughts into having the goddess accompany you and your family through the birth.

Renae, know that I am thinking of you and hoping you feel better post haste.
fussy infant cries
more to say, one handed type
warm baby head smell

yay i haikued!

Jacqueline

01-11-2007, 09:31 AM

Hi all-
Just had to say yay to Fiddle for the homebirth! :hug That's so exciting and I know it's a BIG decision for you.

And, emmalola, glad you have found your birthing team, too!

We have picked out a mw, but haven't had an appt. yet. I have a call in to her, so hopefully in the next couple weeks. I'm eager to hear the hb.

Still feeling off here. On top of all day nausea, I've got a cold, so that just adds to my tiredness. I threw up again last night (this is just the second time for those keeping score :wink) It has made it more difficult to eat this morning, but I know I have to. So, I'm trying to eat small portions. I really want to get through this phase of pg.

We're supposed to be getting some snow and colder temps tonight and tomorrow, so I'm going to the grocery store today (if I can get showered & dressed...I'm so slow in the mornings when pg!)

G has also become mighty obstinate lately, too. Transitions are hard. He's lately started crying when I put his shirt on each morning...and he still gets really upset when his hair gets washed. He doesn't want anything to touch his head, even though it's for a minute. But, I can touch his head at other times and it's no problem. :shrug He's also developed some annoying habits, like asking the same question a billion times....even if I've answered it half a billion. It gets. very. tiring.

Okay, better get in the shower.

jstar

01-11-2007, 12:20 PM

beth i am so happy you are getting your homebirth :) that is awesome. it will be an awesome experience.

and yay for finding a good midwife AND getting to meet elsanne and crew, emmalola.

we had a dusting of snow this morning. just enough to make the rooftops look pretty out the window.

renae i'm really bummed for you your vitamins aren't up to par. i hope you can talk to your doc and see your therapist. i know that ball of stress below the surface all too well. sometimes i feel like i'm vibrating.

i just got an email from my friend who is 37 weeks. her first was born at 38 so she feels like it could happen any moment now. can't wait to hear! babies babies babies! she doesn't know the sex either so i'm very curious to find out. (she's in england. i don't know if they allow people to find out because of sex selection potential. does anyone know?)

sooooo busy at work right now. gah :dizzy:

KKmama

01-11-2007, 03:24 PM

Barometric pressure must be dropping (new storm moving in)... hosted playgroup, and the kids (not mine, fortunately) were *wild* and the place (mine, unfortunately) is a *mess*. :dizzy:

I enjoy all the vicarious pg talk. All the fun, none of the nausea. ;) Fiddle, I'm *so* glad you're having a hb. :hug And jess, please do spill the gender beans if you find out. And a :hug out to Allison and EL, at opposite ends of the "duration."

Jacquie, I picture G as such an angel that I have a hard time imagining him as obstinate. Hope you feel better soon!

Renae, sorry your vitamins aren't up to snuff. Mr. McPooperton ought to lay off!

mcsarahb

01-11-2007, 03:50 PM

OMG, so much stuff going on.

YAYAYAYAY to Fiddle. I will call you tonight if I can get a free moment! Hope you got my email.

YAYAY to emmalola! So happy to hear you liked the midwives and all is looking good.

Hope emmalola and jacquie feel better. I do not envy you the nausea. It is fun living vicariously through all ya'll, though, especially since I know I won't be doing it again.

Speaking of nausea, I have to do a little paper on a "common discomfort of pregnancy" this quarter. Hah. Sounds so clinical when laid out like that. "Oh, you know, weeks of nausea, extreme fatigue, painful hemorrhoids, acne, low libido, ankles so swollen I can't get on my snow boots, my low back on fire...just those common discomforts of pregnancy."

Transitions are hard here, too. And what's getting to me lately is the wanting either DH or me to do something. Like I try to get her a snack and "NOOOOO, Papa! I WANT PAPA TO DO IT...WAAAAAAAAAAH." And it's totally random who the preference is from one moment to the next. This is hard for us since we both do a lot of work from home, and often one of us is officially "on duty" but the other is in the office and she knows that.

Our new fishtank came today! Fun! Hopefully we can find time to get something to put in it this weekend. :D

Did I already tell you guys that my friend is coming down this weekend with her 18-mo-old? I can't remember. I am really looking forward to it. We talk about them all the time, but Lily hasn't seen the baby since she was about 6 months old, so it will fun to see her react to a walking, talking "Baby Ava." Hee.

OK, must run. Love all you homegirls! ;)

S.

DucetteMama21842

01-11-2007, 07:40 PM

Hey all! Enjoying a moment of sanity while DH watches a movie with Dom. :duck: :hide: We are doing a little better today, but not much. It's just hard being cooped up inside. We usually go SOMEWHERE each day and go do something with the kids- so I can see Dominic going stir crazy too. I am having a hard time lately on debating whether or not to focus on the kids until they are in school or go for my RN and Midwifery degree.. (my passion. I already teach Bradley Method Natural Childbirth Classes). So hard to decide.

I woke up this morning and found DH sleeping on the couch. (He works nights) Apparently he came home and thought we were sleeping so soundly that he wouldn't disturb us and try to move the kids around trying to crawl in. I sat down next to him and talked about his work night.. and then out of the blue he says, "I think you are pregnant." (Which he has said everytime I was.) And I said, "A little presumptious since I am only a day late." He says, "Just a feeling.. you have been forgetting to check your temp.. so you could have ovulated later and we should have been more careful." (We were waiting until spring originally.) Then he says, " It's okay.. I've been waiting for you to want to try. And we were going to start trying next month, but I think you already are."

:bigeyes :jaw So we will see... just thought I'd let ya'll know whats up in our world.

orangecanoe

01-11-2007, 07:48 PM

Danile---how exciting!! We're still undecided as to when to try for #3. I totally hear you on the colder weather=stir crazy. We went to Ikea last week and that helped some...maybe we'll have to go back! :lol

What a :dizzy: day. DH neglected to tell me that he was indeed going to a hockey game tonight w/ a work contact. He had left it as a maybe and then I had dinner ready to go on the table and he didn't come home. Let's say I was more than a little :irked: on the phone with him. Blah.

Sarah---I totally get the "I want Daddy instead" thing often!

forgot what else I had on my mind....loooong day.

emmalola

01-11-2007, 09:09 PM

Danile- holy heck. I hope you get an answer that you want... how totally eerie!

Hanging out with Elsanne had to be the highlight of my week, hands down. What a great momma! Even with a handful of tired, cranky, needy little ones, it was still a great, fun meeting. They made the drive, survived the drive, even. We met at a bookstore, then headed home for a little quiet time. The lentil was in school until 3:00, so it was nice for Sol to get a few minutes to play on her own before the lentil came in. When I picked him up, he was really excited to meet Sol, and she was so sweet- we walked in the door and she was in the kitchen playing with play-dough. She just looked up and beckoned him over, and they started playing so sweetly. It was really nice. And Amara? Amazingly sweet and good natured and happy. Seeing her sweetness definitely helped me put the whole nausea thing in perspective. It was nice.

And if anyone gets Sol for a secret cupid valentine gift? The girl LOVES her Pirate's Booty. It's unreal. I'm just sayin'. ;)

So nice. I will put photos on the YG soon enough... I need to sleep now, but hopefully tomorrow. Thanks for coming, Elsanne! I can't wait for your next visit to Appleturkey!

jstar

01-11-2007, 10:34 PM

sounds like a sweet meeting :) i'm STILL bummed i was too sick to meet els+sol last time they came to portland.

danile i'm going to be amazed if your husband is onto something there :wink

DucetteMama21842

01-11-2007, 11:12 PM

I know.. I'll have to start renting him out. :lol :lol :lol He's predicted other people's pregnancies also. Totally bizarre.. but he says he just feels it and sees it in them in how they walk and look.:bigeyes

nuggetsmom

01-11-2007, 11:15 PM

Oh, the random parent preference. J will even say she want N to do it, who just laughs and points out she is just a kid and can't yet (or she will do it if she can and is willing). N was so hard to transition too, and sometimes it felt like I had to bribe her with a better activity every time. Lately I can only get J dressed if the TV is on otherwise she will happily run around "naked butt" though she will get cold in my global warming house (very poorly insulated, so all the heat excapes). And N was worse about this thatn J but sometimes you give the advance warning and then they start bugging you if you can go yet even though said thing is not supposed to start for hours or even days. And when the time finally comes they no longer want to go. N still does that to me.
I am loving all the PG without any personal discomfort though I won't get to hold a babe in the end. And I want to, even though I am comfortable with my life, my babies are growing. :gloomy:

Nice haiku Els

fiddlefern

01-11-2007, 11:19 PM

I'm so confused and emotionally exhausted, mamas.

I talked to the person from my spiritual community that I thought would be very supportive of my homebirth (and therefore of us getting MONEY from them for the homebirth) 'cause she's a big birth choice advocate and a stick-it-to-the-system type. She said she felt that my decision was reactionary and that even though the risk is small, the dangers are huge (she knowns mamas of several babies who have died of GBS).

Then I read Sarah's paper, and what I realized was that all the stats I was using about the risks of GBS are CURRENT, while I'd be assuming 1970's risks from before screening and treatment with antibiotics were routine, and even though the risks are small I'm not sure I'm brave enough to take them on.

I don't feel like we have time to sit down and figure out the finances, and I don't feel like I have time to figure out what I really want, and my first prenatal with the HB midwives is tomorrow at 10 am so I have to get my shit together and make a decision before then, and I'm sitting here bawling and...

I'M DUE IN 3 WEEKS AND DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THIS CRAP!!!!!!!!

I want to be washing baby clothes and cleaning the house and making lists of people I need to call, not deciding if I'm ready to accept the risks (emotional, health, and financial) however small, of my baby getting GBS.

Once again, all about me.

Probably is going to be until I give birth.

Sorry to dump again, everyone.

I'm going to bed now.

DucetteMama21842

01-11-2007, 11:48 PM

Fern... I am confused. Maybe I missed previous threads. (I don't think I've read this whole thing all the way through..) Were you trying to get funding for a homebirth or for the GBS meds? I guess I'm missing the problem with taking the meds (if that's what you want/need) at your homebirth. Since I'm totally confused I feel so helpless and that's really frusterating! I wish I could help!

Mama Faery

01-12-2007, 05:58 AM

Oh, Fiddle. :hug :hug :hug I hope all this gets straightened out for you soon! :( I wish I could offer more encouragement or help, except to say that OF COURSE it's all about you right now! Don't worry! Dump what you need to here, mama! We :heartbeat you! :Hug

So, on some hoopy-poopy notes; we went to see a friend yesterday who I have known since our Goth-clubbing days (almost 10 years ago now!) and we've had our off and on relationships, we lost touch, she had issues, I had issues, blah blabity blah, but we reconnected through another scene a few years back and we see each other rarely. Anyway. She's an amazingly powerful witchy woman who does reiki-ish energy work, is working to become a certified doula, but is dealing with some emotional issues so she's mostly home on disability at the moment. She's a sweet, strange woman.

ANYWAY! :blah We've got this weird comfortable way of sitting together, touching, like sisters almost and while Rowan played quietly on her floor (in between looking for her two cats :)) we talked about stuff, and she mentioned that she could feel energy moving between us and I felt it too, so she asked me if she could help with the anxiety I'd been feeling lately. She asked where I felt it most, I told her (my chest, kind of on the left side) and she like, reikied it out of me. I have no idea how to describe it, but Rowan felt it, and kind of freaked out but he crawled into my lap and we nursed and he was fine, and he kept asking where she was when she was out of his sight. It was cute.
We had a nice lunch and then we drove home, and I felt like either crying or sleeping or shivering, I'm not sure...but I got us home and after Rowan went down for his nap I napped too...and the weird thing is, mamas...I feel so much better :bigeyes

I didn't ask my friend to do this, we hadn't seen each other in months, and well, my faith in these sorts of healing is muchly restored. Weirdness.

I sound like such a flaky hippie-witch, I know. :hippie And I still have a ways to go, and I am seeing my doc this afternoon before work still, but I just wanted to let y'all know how I was doing. I slept better last night, too...I think. Hehe. I know Rowan woke me once to nurse and it took him a while to get back to sleep this morning but now he's still sleeping...but any scond he's gonna wake up, I know it. :eyesroll So I haven't even had one cup of coffee yet! :coffee

Em and Els, your meeting sounds like it was wonderful and I am envious and happy to hear about it! Yay!
Ducettemama, WHOAH! :bigeyes Speaking of hoopy powers! :D That's neat! Let us know what comes of it!

I feel like I am forgetting something, I'm sorry! I think I just heard Rowan.

Oh, our swap isn't happening today, my friend's DS has croup. :( :( :( So I dunno if we are going to try to go to our own Ikea (IKEA!) or just hang out at home today. :shrug The threat of cabin fever (and too much TV) comes with staying home though...but I have to work tonight so I dunno if I want to go anywhere else...but Ikea rules!

Okay, enough babble out of me. I hope you all have a great Friday.

Oh, and THANK YOU for making me feel so much better about my little one's newfound (not-so newfound) obstinance, and random preferences for Mama or Daddy at any given time. I worry that Rowan is just going :nut OCD on me. :wink That's one of the reasons I may not go anywhere today; it's easier to just let the kid stay in his pajamas if he wants to. :bag:

Take care, lovely mamas!

orangecanoe

01-12-2007, 06:37 AM

Ferny---ack! I'm so sorry the doubts and fears are creeping in. You know us MMF! will support you in whatever birth you choose. **hugs** Breathe, mama. It will work out. You'll be up to your elbows in newborn poop in no time!

EL/Elsanne---yay for a fun meetup!! too cute about a booty lovin' sol.

renae--flaky hippy witch hehe :lol I don't know much about that energy kind of stuff, but it sounds powerful and very cool that some of your worries/anxieties are eased.

oh it's friday. finally.

Sarah'sMama

01-12-2007, 06:48 AM

lookatchoo, heather, *almost* beating renae out of the first morning post. :lol

Renae-what a crazy cool experience you described! I'm so glad it helped!

Fern, fern, fern. I don't know what to say. It IS all about you right now. We WANT to know whats going on with you and your impending decisions. I wish I had the right words to say, but just know we're all here for you mama. :Hug

Danile-let us know!!! I'm going crazy, your dh must be quite intuitive!

Where o where is my multiquote useage?

Must go, gotta make sure dh took trash/recycles out to the curb

:lips

KKmama

01-12-2007, 07:43 AM

I will try to post more later, but I have mega hug, hug, hugs for Fernie (do what you think is best!!) and Renae (be confident in yourself--you're not a flake!).

Lisa, I've been thinking of you and yours, and would love to hear how all your family is doing right now.

I need someone to eventually explain the multiquote thing to me.... :lol

TurboClaudia

01-12-2007, 10:24 AM

multiquote:
down in the bottom right corner of each post are three buttons: quote, "+ (quote plus) and quick reply. if you want to quote multiple posts, go to a post you want to quote and click on the "+ button and it will turn red-orange. then go to the next post you want to quote and click on "+. continue for each post you want to quote. when you're ready to reply, click on post reply in the bottom left corner of the whole page and through the *MAGIC* of bulletin board software, all the posts you wanted to quote are there. voila!!!

fern: hope your prenatal with the new midwives this morning brings you some clarity... :heartbeat

lisa: thinking of you... and of alison...

~c

jstar

01-12-2007, 11:50 AM

yep - more hugs from me beth. i know very little about GBS except one tearjerker story i saw on tv about it. i think i would probably do the antibiotics but i also am less crunchy about some things. gbs just scares me because of the death risk. but i would be super bummed about having to do the abx kwim? i may have to deal with this in the very near future....this feels like one of those lottery things to me since you have no control over testing +. you have to do what *you* want (you need the birth you will be happiest with). i hope your midwife meeting brings clarity too. you're smart and you're doing your research and it is not like you're taking the situation lightly. it *is* a lot of crap to deal with when you just want to be washing baby clothes :( you will figure it out. i'm around if you need a shoulder to cry on this weekend
xox

last night we drove by dairy queen. isaac wanted it. i told him dairy queen was a special treat and he told me 'it is not a special treat, it's dinner!'

HA! (well maybe once in a while it is :bag: )

A&L+1

01-12-2007, 12:22 PM

Quick update to say that we're all doing okay (Alison - no labor, my mom-out of the hosp, still not sure what is happening, and me - my eyes and head are swimming but I am hanging in) I will update more soon - I am fine really - just overwhelmed with schtuff.

For Fernitude:

Check out: http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gbs.html
especially: "Kathryn Newburn, RN, CNM is available for free phone consulting about antibiotic treatment for GBS. She's in California, so please call her weekdays only between noon and 7 pm EST (9-4 PST) at 650-347-6943."
and:
"OBs and pediatricians have a new approach; for cases of prolonged rupture of membranes, they're only giving antibiotics if the mom runs a fever. Otherwise, they just do a simple blood test on the baby (can be done from cord blood or a heelstick if they miss the cord blood opportunity) to check for C-reactive protein. This is an indicator of an acute infection. If it's negative, everyone can be reassured that baby's fine, even though mom didn't get antibiotics; if it's positive (for whatever reason!), then baby will be appropriately treated for an acute infection. This has great potential for focusing the treatment where it is most needed and not exposing all the others to unnecessary side effects and increased risks from resistant bacteria."

There is lots more there about GBS in general...BUT I know you don't want to spend this time researching. I say, talk to your midwives, talk to your spiritual community, and spend some time alone seaking out your inner wisdom if you can. The world will take care of you and your baby as it should...and we all support you no matter what!

:hugs Hugs :hugs

jstar

01-12-2007, 02:21 PM

that's a good webpage. lots to digest. see i don't even know enough about it to know what i would do really. testing the baby seems really logical. why would the norm be routine abx if they can just test the baby? i don't get it :dizzy:

TurboClaudia

01-12-2007, 02:29 PM

A&L+1

01-12-2007, 03:00 PM

i think *that* probably has to do with the ACOG position paper about GBS treatment... *sigh*

Yep. GBS illness in babies is scary so ACOG's position is that we should do something even if it's not perfect - but we are getting a problem of anitbiotic resistant GBS and that likely to get worse with routine abx for laboring moms.

What did your paper say, Sarah? Maybe it makes sense to wait on abx unless prolonged rutpture of membranes and/or fever in labor, but if this is a high-stress issue for the mom then how is that going to effect her labor? I like the idea of just treating infants if they show signs of illness, but that does mean more time for the infection take hold thus potentially more intense treatment to correct - or does it? I am not familar, is there a study that shows that it is better to try to prevent the infection versus treating one only if it develops? Geez...this is a tough place to be, Beth. I am so so sorry.

jstar

01-12-2007, 03:16 PM

who is acog (without me looking it up)?

one thing on that webpage further down said the abx only help cases which occur right after birth but make no difference for cases that show up after some period of time. ie. babies can still get it later on. freaky. and they think most of it is caught at the hospital (even freakier).

i wonder too about the preventing infection vs. treating an infection and how rigorous that has to be. if they give a newborn abx over 48 hrs that makes me think it must be very low slow dose. i'm guessing it would not be low and slow if it were an acute infection. anyway, i would need my ob to explain everything about it. and also call someone like that midwife to get another perspective.

it is really complicated.

fiddlefern

01-12-2007, 03:45 PM

Hi everyone. (sheepish grin, too exhausted to look up the smiley). Got maybe 4 hours of fitful sleep last night.

I have not heard about testing the baby. That goes at the top of my long list of questions for the Kaiser midwife. (and/or pediatrition).

The homebirth midwife was awesome. I called to cancel, and explained that I just wasn't certain enough in that moment to sign a financial agreement. She (like the Kaiser midwife) encouraged me to keep my feet in both places for a bit longer, and give myself time for clarity.

I have called a zillion people, talked on the phone for a zillion hours, and have about a zillion options to explore. I think the answer lies inside me, though, and it's hard to listen to that voice right now.

acog- american college of obstetrics and gynecology.

Since their standards came out in 1996, deaths from GBS have DRAMATICALLY been reduced. Since the CDC came out with similar guidlines (I think in 2002?), the numbers have dropped even further.

Jstar, yes, it's only early onset GBS (which shows up within the first 7 days) that seems to be affected by giving antibiotics from moms. Babies get late onset from other people, not just their moms.

My Kaiser MW told me that treatment if baby does have GBS is 10 days in the hospital on antibiotics (for babies who get it, it is really serious and in the 1970's 50% of babies who got it died), so that's probably why the public policy is preventative rather than testing the babe. Still, I REALLY like the fact that it might be an option.

Lisa, I am glad to hear that you are hanging in there, and thank you, thank you for the reference.

....crawls off to eat and obsess some more...

DucetteMama21842

01-12-2007, 04:35 PM

Just thinking of you fern and hoping some resolution comes to you soon.

Sarah'sMama

01-12-2007, 06:24 PM

Thanks for the update, fiddle. I've been thinking of youall day and hoping your meeting went well. It sounds like the midwife is very understanding of your position, and I'm really glad she's allowing you to take some time to digest.

I know you've gotten alot of info, but I just wanted to share a personal experience with you.

When pg with katie, I tested positive for GBS both at 12 weeks and 36 weeks.

Fast forward to labor (which was induced). Inserted cervadil, put me on fast track to hard labor. By the time they checked me, I was completely 10 cm and needing to push. So, no time for abx for me. Katie was born. Within an hour or so of her birth, they drew a blood culture and did a CBC to rule out any sort of infection. Both came back fine. I can't really remember well, but I *think* my OB required baby to stay in the hospital for 24-36 hours after birth. I can't really remember, that part is fuzzy, I was so exhasted after birthing her that I remember falling asleep on the phone with my Mom, so I was kinda out of it. But my OB didn't make a big deal out of it, namely because i was afebrile and my water didn't break until I was pushing, so no prolonged rupture of membranes.

So I guess what I'm trying to get at is that, while I know every birth is different, it sounds like we fell under the protocol that if I didn't receive abx during labor, they tested the baby and treated accordingly.

Lisa, thanks for the update, you've been on my mind alot lately. Sending you lots of warmth and love.

Sarah'sMama

01-12-2007, 07:23 PM

Did I ever tell you mamas that my two girls decided to cosleep? Sarah was sleeping in a full size bed in her room, Katie in a toddler bed in her own room. Well, around Christmas they kept talking how they wanted to have sleepovers in Sarah's room. I agreed but was worried there wouldn't be much sleeping going on. The first few nights, they talked and giggled and such for a while, but fell asleep and stayed that way all night. Now, for the most part, they just go to bed together, and are asleep pretty quickly. It is really super duper cute to see. Like I said, I was a bit reluctant at first because I didn't know if they'd actually sleep, but I let them, thinking if this is what they really want to do, then I don't want to forbid it. I feel it can only foster love and a good relationship between them. I am very close to my sister, and want them to have a good relationship with each other for years to come. Plus, just about everyone I know shared a bedroom with a sibling. I know maybe at some point the novelty will wear off, but for now, I'm enjoying watching them love each other. I posted a pic on the YG if you would like to see them in action!:love :heartbeat

orangecanoe

01-12-2007, 07:26 PM

Sherri--that is adorable!! I'm thinking/hoping we see that around here sometime next year. There is a trundle bed in E's room that would be perfect for that! Cutie cute cuteness!

orangecanoe

01-12-2007, 07:27 PM

oh and dude....go check out Sherri's porch pics too!! Cute, but no light up blinking train (what was my DH thinking!) :lol

Sarah'sMama

01-12-2007, 07:34 PM

oh and dude....go check out Sherri's porch pics too!! Cute, but no light up blinking train (what was my DH thinking!) :lol

oh, if only my dh had his way, we'd have reindeer out the wazoo, multiple inflatable objects, plastic snowmen, reindeer, santas, etc. It would be BAD. :lol

DucetteMama21842

01-12-2007, 07:39 PM

Sherri- that is the cutest thing ever! My siblings and I did the same thing, I really hope mine do it too. When we were younger and treating each other or our parents badly they would send us to our room, where we would proceed to yell to each other through the heater vents... thinking we were unheard. :lol My mom just confessed when I brought it up the other day that her and my stepdad could barely contain their laughter as they would sit and listen to us chitchat. :lol Not that I want to repeat THAT, but it reminded me of the sillyness when I was little. Good times.

mcsarahb

01-12-2007, 10:20 PM

Fiddle - (hugs). I hadn't heard of the testing the baby thing, either. Lisa, the paper was done by a classmate of mine, and it was about the current statistics on risks of GBS, testing, the antibiotic treatment for mom, etc. I'm surprised she didn't turn anything up about testing the baby, actually. Fiddle, I also wanted to mention that there are alternative treatments to minimize the likelihood of infection. Things like garlic cloves up the yinyang for 10 days, chlorahexadine (sp?) wash in early labor, etc. I would ask both midwives about those options, too. I know they're not super-studied in the literature, but hey they might have a protocol.

So I'm curious, what did the homebirth midwife say about the GBS? Was she just willing to have you labor and birth without any prophylaxis? That surprises me. I am very interested and want to chat with you, but don't want to overwhelm you.

Sherri, that is the cutest. My little brother and I slept in my 3/4-sized bed together until I was 8 or so.

Renae, that is very cool about your friend's healing energy. It must feel so good to have a positive change. :hug

My friend's here from out-of-town, putting her dd to sleep now. I am banished to the downstairs because Lily got WAAAAAAAY too wound up with the guests, etc. and had a complete meltdown right before bed. I nursed her but she ended up freaking out anyway and DH told me to get out and stay out (in the nicest, most well-meaning way). So he's up there now settling her back down. Ooop, nevermind, here he is. She must have finally succumbed to the sleepies. Poor overtired bebe.

OK, later skaters.

S.

fiddlefern

01-13-2007, 10:33 PM

Hi everyone. It was great going to work this weekend and getting a bit of a break from my life. I'm feeling calmer and more centered. I know what I want, and I'm not sure I'm able to get it, but I have my list of questions and I'm working on it.

I'm gonna try a participatory post tonight. :)

Renae- that reiki story is so cool and sweet.

And Sherri, talk about sweet- your lil cosleepers. :love

DucetteMama- my bros and I discovered the vents at our grandparents' house when we were little and had a blast. Good memories.

Eeps- babe needs me. Nighty-night!

mcsarahb

01-13-2007, 10:41 PM

Oooh, fiddle, I was just getting on here to check if you had posted and then call you. But I guess it's too late. I'll try tomorrow eve. I'm glad you're feeling decided; can't wait to chat and see what's up. :hug

My friend is putting her dd to sleep while Nat puts Lily to sleep. The girls took a bath together tonight and it was SO FREAKIN' CUTE I almost peed my pants. Not really, just figuratively, all you kegelers. ;)

OK feelin' chatty, but must go do some homework while I have a free second. Yawn. Hard to fit this annoying thing called school into my REAL life sometimes. ;)

Sarah

jstar

01-13-2007, 11:46 PM

i'm glad you're feeling settled too, fiddlefern. and i am *so* excited about your blessingway :loveeyes: it will be the first blessingway i have ever been to :shy

renae - i loved your reiki story too and i'm so glad she helped you. i hope the feeling is lasting. doug has a very 'woo' auntie and after doug's grandma had a knee replacement she was *super* cranky (with reason) but doug's auntie had her friend come visit at the hospital and do secret reiki on grandma. she claims it changed her 'tude immensely. anyway i love doug's 'woo' auntie. she's awesome and so sweet.

i'll have to check the pic of the cosleepers. that is adorable.

isaac was having sleep insanity for a while. in our bed. out of our bed. crying in the middle of the night. finally i told him 'you are sleeping in your bed and no crying about monsters in the middle of the night' and....it worked. 2 silent nights in a row and an easy bedtime tonight. (he was insisting on falling asleep in our bed for a while and i'd have to move him). it sounded mean but he was making me :dizzy: and i can't believe he actually 'listened.' i don't discredit his crying about monsters because i remember being scared of monsters when i was a kid. but i think he was pulling my leg a bit :wink

i am mad crazy nesting woman. you should see the pile o stuff for goodwill i created today. must.declutter.and.make.space.for.less.than.10.pou nd.child :lol except my nesting does not involve laundry or dishes. heh

we started another aquaducks class today. isaac was super excited. of course he doesn't want to do whatever the rest of the class is doing. but that's ok too.

nighty night.

KKmama

01-14-2007, 04:33 PM

Been doing a lot of inside stuff here, because it's been soooo cold (almost makes me regret my whining about the snow... at least we could play outside in the snow for a while). Dunno if I mentioned that I made my first batch of soap a couple of weeks ago. I've been rebatching it (melting it in small batches and mixing it with yummy stuff). We're lipbalming/lotioning/etc. ourselves quite liberally, too, because it's so dry...

Z has been offnon wearing underwear, with very few accidents when he decides to wear underwear. I'll take what I can get.

I had yet *another* dream last night that I was pg again, with a girl. :bag: If you had to ask me right now if there was going to be a #4 at some point, I guess I'd have to say yes (since my unconscious self says yes...). (Definitely not pg, though--no ppaf yet.) (Danile, let us know...)

Nothing wrong with woo. We could all use a little more woo...

I love decluttering. I wish I had more time for it. (:bag:) I guess if I weren't making soap... double-:bag:

Ferny, you sound much calmer, and I am glad!!!

Hey, I did the heating vent thing too. Wonder if it's a universal kid thang...

:hugs to Lisa (and Alison!).

Mama Faery

01-15-2007, 06:20 AM

Nothing wrong with woo. We could all use a little more woo...

:lol That is awesome! So YES, the reiki has held...I think. I've definitely been feeling better, and I don't know if it's because that psychic kick in the patootie is making me more proactive, creative, or well, it could just be the slightly increasd exercise. :wink I dunno.
In any case, last night DH and I had a talk about "reconnecting" (and NOT just in a spiritual bible study sort of way! though um, that happened too! :shy ) and it felt really good to get out some of the thoughts we'd been having (thanks to the whole vitamin issue, my libido is *pfffft!* and I am taking steps to work on that, woo-woo herbal stuff and that sort of thing. :wink) and DH told me he didn't know how I did all that I do, and that he wanted me to be happy and well taken care of, and he knew I had been feeling that I wasn't getting what I needed, and I deserved to be happy and secure...:happyt: It felt good to get all of this out, and to hear my normally-not-wordy husband say some much-needed sweet things to me. Even though I cried a bit. :Sheepish:

Anyway, last night was good. Went to bed early-ish (nothing like Saturday night, when I was in bed at 8pm!! :bigeyes LONG day, Saturday. I blame Ikea. :p) Rowan's sleeping has been :nut :dizzy: :nut all weeken--no, since like last Wednesday, he was napping from like 2 or 2:30 till 4 or *5* :yikes: so Saturday night he went to sleep at 10pm!!!
Sunday was much more "regular", he was asleep at 8:30ish (DH has been having to pat him forEVER. *sigh*
Yeah, but we all know Rowan and sleep. :nut :bang
Speaking of sleep, oh, the little co-sleepers are SO CUTE! :love

We just took down our lights (most of them) yesterday. Haha.

Rain, rain, rain out here, it's been like this ALL WEEKEND. :irked:
I'm almost wishing for snow...

Hope you all have a great day/start of the week. Fiddle, more :hugs and thoughts for you, sounds like you are a bit calmer and that's so great. You nesting mamas....man, I'm not even pregnant and I'm feeling the nesting vibe! :lol I think it's because we finally got rid of all the holiday decorations this weekend.
Lisa (and Alison!) :hug Hope you are well.

Okay, gotta go make out a birthday card for MIL (her birthday's TOMORROW!) ttfn--ta ta for now!
:wink

Oh yeah! I got new tattoos Saturday (after DH said that we will still try to save for Mexico later this year and that I should use my holiday money for this since I've wanted them for so long! :banana)! :D Pictures when they're less ouchie-looking.

I RULE the smileys. :hammer :laugh:

KKmama

01-15-2007, 08:03 AM

My latest crazy dream was that dh was a hair stylist. I cannot tell you how totally *psyched* I was (in my dream) that I was married to someone who would do my hair every day. :lol

Renae, when my very quiet dh opens up with much-needed communication (sweet or no), it really boosts me, too.

Yes, the co-sleepers are super cute (liked the scarf pic, too :wink).

I had a brilliant idea that my next moms night out should be at Michael's (the craft store). :bag: But wouldn't it be fun? I would love to go to Michael's (or a really yummy yarn or fabric store...) with my May Mamas, but I guess my RL friends will have to do.

DucetteMama21842

01-15-2007, 08:36 AM

I swore I had updated you guys.. but obviously I haven't.

You won't believe the spookiness of this situation...

We are getting ready for church this morning and I express my concern to DH about being a few days late now. He says, "Well.. I don't necessarily think you are pregnant NOW.. I just think you're going to be pregnant soon." :dizzy: We try to dig all of the snow off of our car and get in... no budging.. this car is not making it out of the development. Settle down to eat lunch with the kids.. and AF starts!!!!!!!!! :lol So hey- at least there's an answer for me. It's almost starting to creep me out his predictions.. but maybe we are just super close.

Anyhow.. other than that we are doing great. I'm up early cleaning while the kids sleep... (which never usually happens). The sun is beginning to peek in my windows and it is so beautiful. Oh- Isaac is awake. Got to go!

A&L+1

01-15-2007, 01:09 PM

Danile, awww…I love that you attribute your husband’s predictions to how close the two of you are – that’s so sweet and rare.

Sherri, we plan to use one bedroom as a sleep room for the two kids and one as a playroom. I would love them to cosleep! I haven’t gone over to the YG yet, but it sounds like the sweetest.

Fiddle, I am so thankful to hear some peace in your post. As I hope you know, I am wishing good things for you.

Renae, I love woo woo healing reiki stories! The late night or lengthy conversations of a relationship that end in tears and a little biblical action are the best in my opinion.

Sarah, just wanted you to know how much I am cheering you on in your studies. Your “homework gets in the way of real life” post had me smiling.

Jess, The monsters story is too cute! Isn’t it amazing when just telling them flat out makes all the difference? For what it’s worth, we’ve told Eleanor that monsters are “good listeners” and if you tell them to leave, they will. We regularly hear her telling them to go away.

KK, hello to the soup and soap making may mama. Don’t get your pots mixed up! :wink. Having a hairdresser partner would be a dream…

Alison’s sister and best friend threw her a surprise baby shower on Saturday. It was so sweet. Totally traditional baby shower stuff with an Alison twist (such as, an insanely hard trivia game, for which each correct answer revealed a portion of a rebus, and then the rebus was directions for where to find her present). They got us a car seat and a cumquat tree with seed packets hanging all over it for the yard. I love the idea of planting something for the baby.

Alison has a quilt idea which totally rocks. I made one for Eleanor, but I have not even begun one for this baby and I was expressing my angst over this. She said, how about we get some white squares and as people come to see the baby they can write on one? I can later assemble them into a quilt, but I needn’t stress that it is not done in advance of the birth. Love it.

My mom is doing okay at home with very little treatment. The debate between her doctors about what to do is in full swing…one thinks an adrenal issue, one thinks she psychotropically over-medicated, she thinks it’s dehydration and drinking too much Diet Coke. It’s going okay for her to just be resting at home, but I do wish they would come up with a plan soon. My dad is doing well and his scans are looking as good as can be hoped for. He’s still improving or holding his own against the cancer, which is really, really amazing.

I am feeling more settled and I have a therapy appointment this afternoon to unload all the remaining emotional schtuff. Hopefully I can get myself to settle down a bit because I feel pretty wound up.

On that note, our cat got out yesterday and we haven’t seen her since. She has a collar, but she’s old and it was really cold last night. I spent all morning looking for her and there is no sign. Sigh.

A&L+1

01-15-2007, 02:00 PM

phew...Alison just called me to say that she found Willow. She seems fine after being out all night! :thumb

mcsarahb

01-15-2007, 03:07 PM

Lisa- So glad to hear an update. I'm glad things are balancing a little with your parents, etc. I hope things continue to improve. The quilt idea is cool. A friend of ours did that for her bridal shower; it was nice. I'm thinking of you and Alison as January marches on! Can't wait for the news.

I have a sneaky little suspicion that Fiddle might go a little early. Not *too* early, just a bit. So maybe ya'll will have matching birthdays for your seconds! ;)

DucetteMama - it is really cool that you have such a bond with your partner. I feel the same about my wonderful DH. But he definitely didn't know that I was pregnant. In fact, he looked at the HPT and still didn't believe it. :lol

And I do wish he was a hair stylist. He is sooo far from that it's not even funny. He rarely even notices his hair, as in leaves the house with bedhead almost every time. :rolleyes

Renae - can't wait to see tatt pics! I'm already jonesing for my next one. I think it will be some additions to the one I have on my lower back - some outlining, etc. But DH gets his next, so it will be a while.

I just got back from a couple of hours with my friend and her 4-week-old. Took me back. Her babe is adorable but a lot like Lily was with respect to sleep/alertness. She has to work to get her to sleep and she's fussy a lot. I totally love helping her out with the babe (today I put her sleep bouncing on the ball, walked around the house with her, etc. while my friend showered and ate) but I was SO glad to be able to leave. :o I am so not cut out to have another infant. Major kudos to those of you who've done it, are doing it, and are planning to do it again! The more I'm around infants the more sure I am that Lily is IT.

Speaking of, Lily is getting so "big." I love how she kind of orbits around us but doesn't always need immediate attention. LOVE it. Often when she asks us to read to her or something, we can even say "No, honey, I'm doing XYZ; why don't you read/play/dance/whatever by yourself?" and she'll be okay with that. Just love it. It only gets better from here, right? Right? ;) And on days when she's more needy I feel myself getting ansy and annoyed. :bag It's hard for me to let go of expectations. Once she's done something one time or behaved a certain way, I get annoyed when she doesn't do it again or whatever. I've got to remember that she's only 2...:o

OK, enough procrastination. ;) Love yous!

Sarah

jstar

01-15-2007, 04:12 PM

we saw beth and L at the neighborhood diner this morning. how cool is that? i told isaac 'say bye to your friend L' and he goes 'bye friend L!' tee hee :lol isaac wanted 'cancakes!' beth, you look great and really not huge in the belly. has it dropped or are you just one of those lithe pregnant women? or maybe it was because we are all so bundled up right now. i carry like a WHALE for the last 6 weeks. a waddling parade float. you don't have that look at all :) (and L is just so dang cute!)

lisa - i'm glad your mom and dad and your cat are all doing well. what a relief. your dad is really really amazing for holding his own for so long. that is great. any plans for you and the fam to head out there after new babe gets settled a bit? is alison getting impatient or is she pretty zen?

i want to see tat pix too!

i came into work to make a few quick edits to this report and then send it out. and well....i found some little issue that has turned into a can o worms. love that :irked: grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. so much for getting it done today.

dh is home with isaac and doing grocery shopping. mega spouse points! and isaac is whiny right now...some new cold/cough thing.

i dread the infant stage but i keep telling myself to try to enjoy this next one because it will be the last. we will see if i actually *can* enjoy it :lol i talked to a friend yesterday whose 8 month old never naps because it isn't quiet enough with her 3 yo. scary.

i really wonder what i'll do differently with this babe than i did with isaac kwim? well, and how the babe will be different too.

Mama Faery

01-16-2007, 06:06 AM

Sarah, you totally hit two things on the head for me: the fact that I KNOW that Rowan is IT and the things that reinforce that on a daily basis :lol and the expectations of a 2-year-old. Right now, Rowan is playing with his trains on a mat with roads in the living room, but I am expecting that any second he is going to come in here and ask me to go in there to play too! :wink
Some days he will play by himself for what feels like hours; other days, he makes DH stay on the floor with him forEVER.
(he just came into the room to tell me that a mix CD someone made me has been stuck in the baseboard heating. Guess who stuck it there? :dizzy: :irked: I can't find it, good thing I put it into iTunes a while back! But still: :irked:)
He's been really :irked:ing me lately, but I am trying really hard to remember that he's 2, so even when he kicks me out of the room only to whine and cling to my pant leg a second later, I know he's doing what he *should* be doing. :eyesroll Sometimes it's rough though. Especially on days like today when we *really* don't have anything to do (no playdates or meetings or anything) and we *should* just relax at home, but I want to MAKE something for us to do. It's the anxiety/OCD in me. So I'm fighting it. We're gonna loaf today, really! :lol

Anyway, I don't have a real update for y'all; I'm a little :nut, I painted my nails an UG-LAY color last night that I have to take off now (some light colors (like pale pale pink/beige)+dark skin=Not such a great combination. :gross :o) I have a half-cup of coffee to finish, no inclination to take off anyone's pajamas, 6 loads of laundry to do, and a CD to find. :lol
Just had to keep up the tradition! Good morning, everyone! Glad to hear kitties are found, friends are met at diners, and some of us have such closeness with our DH's. :love My DH and I are workin' on it (I did toss a sippy cup outta my way this morning that clocked him on the head :bag: it was SUCH an accident but I still felt like an a$$) and most days, I know he is my soulmate. :wink MOST days. :lol
Ok bye! :grouphug

TurboClaudia

01-16-2007, 10:02 AM

one word: SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ack!!!!!!!!!!!!! portland is soooooooooo not used to snow...

more later when i'm not nak...

~c

DucetteMama21842

01-16-2007, 10:12 AM

Yep.. ours depleted to like four to five inches and now we have over a foot again! :angry :lol

DucetteMama21842

01-16-2007, 10:17 AM

And it's still snowing!

mcsarahb

01-16-2007, 10:54 AM

OMG snow is outta control. And I got on the bus this morning 'cause both PPS and OHSU said no delays/cancellations, ONLY to be stuck on the bus for over an hour. THEN PPS finally closed, at freakin' 8:30, and my professor canceled our 9 am class at 8:52. HELLO. So now I'm at a coffee shop downtown with a classmate (we found each other downtown - ha, the joy of cell phones) and will go home shortly. Our nanny was on the bus for an hour, too, before she turned back so I have to go relieve DH so he can get some work done. Hopefully I can get home before dark...:rolleyes

Mama Faery

01-16-2007, 10:58 AM

Whoah! Enjoy the snow, Portlanders! :wink I think I should call my best friend from high school this eve (she's lived in portland for a while now)...heh.
We had some nap drama this afternoon (he was being a freak, refusing to lay still so I could pat him, finally I yelled at him, he cried, we had to start all over with nursing and cuddling...:() so I am trying to eat my lunch and not feel like sh*t because I totally lost it earlier. :( Anyway. He's napping peacefully now and I am trying not to cry. *sigh*
At least I have the bonus of patting his back for a while; I can give him some gentle touch and we can both chill out for a few minutes. But I still feel really bad.
So glad I have a vitamin appointment tomorrow...

KKmama

01-16-2007, 11:10 AM

Re the snow: better you than me. :duck:

jstar

01-16-2007, 11:18 AM

my u/s appt is this afternoon. i had to cancel my u/s appt with isaac because it was the big snowstorm we got in 2004. i just KNEW it would snow today!!!!!! why dangit? i want to go to the appt later. at this point i think we will. i just came to work and it isn't bad and we have 4wd. i won't be going anywhere if it turns into freezing rain though. it sure is pretty out :loveeyes:

TurboClaudia

01-16-2007, 11:34 AM

jstar: sorry, i just have to laugh about your "luck" with ultrasounds & snow. :laugh:

~c

A&L+1

01-16-2007, 11:56 AM

I actually would love there to be some snow around here. Sigh.

I hope everyone has safe travels today - especially you, Jess, good luck at the ultrasound!

jstar

01-16-2007, 11:59 AM

i know. what gives? dh says another sign it is a boy :lol i just drove home from work. not bad out. not slick yet and the hospital is so close.

KKmama

01-16-2007, 12:32 PM

Jess, inquiring minds want to know the gender. So share what you learn. :loveeyes:

orangecanoe

01-16-2007, 01:38 PM

Well...back from the neuro w/ a diagnosis....developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyspraxia) So I guess our ongoing dilemma will be getting her PT/OT after she turns three. We've been told verbally that she won't qualify for the intermediate unit/preschool, but the neurologist said having the actual dx and rx from her for services might help. So that's that. *sigh*

TurboClaudia

01-16-2007, 01:47 PM

heather: :hug dx is a double edged sword sometimes but i'm glad that the neuro assessed something was up.

~claudia

emmalola

01-16-2007, 02:34 PM

oh, mamas. forgive me, but I have a serious rant coming up...

How did I end up with so much going on?! How did this happen? And all the while, not much is happening at all. Because I'm lazy. Seriously, pathologically lazy.

For the past two months I've procrastinated making one single phone call. A simple cold call to a former tribal governor who might- might- be able to help me with my research. So stupid. So i just called the number I had, and the machine answered using the dumb automated reply, which doesn't tell who if you've even called the correct number. So here I am, leaving a message on a machine that may or may not connect me to the person I wish to speak with, and I leave the stupidest, most cryptic message I think I've ever left. in my life. And that includes stupid crush messages I might have left at homes of boycrushes when I was 14. It was that bad.

And I am a year and a half from graduating and I still haven't made ANY progress on my dissertation. completely unresolveable.

And I'm pregnant! I'm sick :Puke and exhausted all day long and the only thing I am sure to accomplish is eating every two hours and taking a nap after (first) lunch every day. No work on the dissertation. none. Lots of internet time, but nothing on the dissertation.

I feel like such a failure. What was I thinking, getting knocked up? How stupid was that? How am I ever going to graduate on time? :bang

We moved in here, but I still haven't been able to unpack my office, which makes it especially difficult to settle in a work, you know? But I realize that's an excuse, and I hate to make excuses, but I need a den in which I can relax and work, not the kitchen table, or worse- the coffee table in the living room.

And on top of it all, sweets isn't happy with the lentil's day care. Granted- they only have daycare four out of five days a week and that's starting to get on our nerves. The lentil's best friend is moving to a different daycare, and at first we thought it would be a good idea for us to do the same. But I don't want to move! It's a great school, the teachers are great, and the lentil loves it. He's learning so much! Sweets hates the drive, and the administration drives us both batty, but those aren't great reasons to totally uproot the lentil. No matter, really. We visited a school this morning, and while it was a fine school, it wasn't any better than our current school, and it even had a few knocks against it. So now, in the middle of feeling sick and gross and SO down on myself, I'm supposed to care enough to call a million montessori schools to try to find a better place for the lentil.

I want it all. I seem to think I can have it all. But something inside me is stopping me from doing what I can do to have it all. sigh. I'm so frustrated with me. This isn't about parenting at all, it's about balance and I'm so out of balance it's no wonder all my spending money goes to acupuncture and chiropractic appointments. gah!

Okay, I hope that's the end of my long and useless vent. time to go pick up the lentil. :eyesroll :tsk

emmalola

01-16-2007, 02:38 PM

double posting:

:hug heather... my little sister has dyspraxia. It's a vexing diagnosis because so many different problems are included in the rubric of dyspraxia. But if it's any comfort, she's now 11 and after a lot of OT and speech therapy, she's a highly functioning kid. She ended up staying back a year in school, but that was more for her emotional stuntedness (due to her lame-ass parents!!) than for her physical ability. And cognitively, she's always been in-line with the rest of her age-group. So, there's that at least. And having a diagnosis has definitely helped her gain access to resources, which is a definite plus.

mcsarahb

01-16-2007, 04:00 PM

Heather - :hug, mama. I don't know much about the diagnosis, but like Claudia, I'm at least glad you have something to work with now. C seems like such a smartie that I'm sure she will do just fine in the long run. You have my thoughts and best wishes.

Emmalola - Hugs to you, too. I am sorry you're in a hard space right now. If it's any consolation (and if it's not, you can boot me), I can sooo relate. Well, I'm not knocked up, but I can relate in the other ways. I am a bigtime procrastinator, too. I'd also say something about pregnancy hormones and mama headspace, but since that's part of your issue, I know that probably doesn't help. Honestly, I have a lot more to say about this subject and if you ever want to call and chat please feel free. Phone # on YG.

jstar - Hope you get to your appt today. I want to know, too! ;)

Well I ended up walking all the way from downtown almost to my house before a bus finally caught up to me. Then another professor actually held class this afternoon. I can't imagine anybody was there. Luckily she's Ms. Tech-Savvy and videostreams all her classes, so I can watch it later. She did say in her email to not come to class if we would "endanger ourselves." I can always play the missing childcare provider card, but I really think hardly anyone showed up. This is the most snow Portland's seen in a while.

Mmmmm, I just made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (thanks to a thread on emmalola's lovely site ;)). Yum!

S.

A&L+1

01-16-2007, 04:26 PM

I want it all. I seem to think I can have it all. But something inside me is stopping me from doing what I can do to have it all. sigh. I'm so frustrated with me. This isn't about parenting at all, it's about balance and I'm so out of balance

Oh, Emmaloa. The part of your post that I quoted is really profound. That is a lot of crud to deal with right now and you sound really flooded with emotions about all of it. I am sending you big big hugs and deep breathing. It will shift and feel less overwhelming at some point. What is the May Mama chant? This too shall pass?! It will, and it is a lot for you to be juggling at once, but it won't always feel so panicky. I hate the feelings you are talking about, and I can so relate, but I am not feeling them now so I know it is possible to get over feeling overwhelmed, overdone, and just over it without actually getting anything done (i.e. I still have boxes everywhere too - it just inexplicably stopped bothering me). Not at all reassuring, I know, but you can't actually get things done when you are feeling so overwhelmed can you?

And HUGE kudos for placing that scary call. Even if you feel like a dork - you did it! One thing down.

:hug

A&L+1

01-16-2007, 04:31 PM

Heather, That dx sounds like so many great people I know! :hugs for you and your girlie. Hopefully this will lead to more opportunity to get all the services you would like for her. :hug

jstar

01-16-2007, 05:22 PM

heather - more :hug from me. it is good to know what is going on and yet i'm sure it hard at the same time. i think C will do just fine as well :hug

well i am 2 for 2 on getting snowed out of ultrasounds. and it hardly ever snows here! i was bound and determined to go but the lab called me to reschedule. waaahh. and isaac never took a nap but spent an hour up in his room 'i awake to go to the hospital now' :dizzy: he was more excited than i was

emmalola - i'd be in your exact shoes. deadlines that are too far away are not even deadlines in my book. i am a horrible procrastinator. and yet the thing lurking over my head would drive me nuts too. so you have my sympathies. you shouldn't put pressure on yourself to do anything in the next few weeks. getting clothes on is a triumph when you're nauseous. maybe set yourself some (small) concrete goals for after you hit the 20 week mark. i have the SAME problem right now with this big report i'm supposed to churn out by the end of this month. i open the file and then it sits open and i work on other things and oh it is the end of the day! and i go home. and i am making no progress. it is so overwhelming to me i can't get my teeth into it. even though i know exactly what it should/will say. :irked: and now i have a snow day to procrastinate. and maybe another one tomorrow. of course i emailed it home but i can't work with isaac bouncing frenetically next to me. or more accurately, on me.

well i dont' know what will happen tomorrow. it will all freeze up again tonight and be another big mess in the morning. i rescheduled the u/s for friday because tomorrow seemed a little too optimistic. and i really *need* to work this week. even though snow days are fun

sarah - that's a longa$$ walk!!! glad you made it home :)

mcsarahb

01-16-2007, 08:03 PM

sarah - that's a longa$$ walk!!! glad you made it home :)

Tell me about it! It was from the downtown Stumptown to MLK and Fremont. DAH-yam. And now my hips hurt. I'm getting old...:irked:

Sorry to hear you got snowed out of the ultrasound. I'd be pi$$ed, too.

Ooooh I don't whether to hope for another snow day tomorrow or not. The work piles up...:(

TurboClaudia

01-16-2007, 11:15 PM

posted this in the portland thread, too, but i know you mamas would appreciate it, too, especially those is snowy zones right now:

marek went out to play in the snow with all the neighborhood kids earlier today. he was unsure of it at first, but i opened the garage and let him get accustomed to the cold and the look of it and he could also hear all the kids yelling and laughing and having fun just down the street. i finished getting myself and stefan dressed while he just stood there in the garage watching. bill came home early and ran inside to eat some lunch while i went out with stefan in the sling and marek walking. marek tried sledding (he calls it skiing, though... :p) and then when bill came outside, he built a snowperson on our lawn to match all the other neighborhood snowpeople on everyone else's lawns. we came in for a break and had a snack and then we went out again just before it started getting dark. stefan got grumpy so i brought him back in and nursed him to sleep for a nap on the bed. marek and bill ended up playing hockey on the icy street with our neighbor and his son. we finally convinced marek that it was time to go in and get some dinner ready.

so bill quickly slapped together a pizza and put it in the oven and sat down to play guitar hero on the playstation while marek sat on the couch holding the extra guitar hero guitar. after about 10 minutes, i noticed his head kind of bobbing every now and then. i say to bill that marek is getting tired and we should have dinner really soon. i check on the pizza and it's almost done. marek looks semi-alert. i pull the pizza out of the oven to cool and bill keeps playing while i run down the hall to check on stefan who is still sleeping. by the time i come back, marek is fighting, fighting, fighting to stay awake and then just can't and literally falls forward on top of his guitar hero guitar and bonks his head and it doesn't even phase him. i quickly step over and remove the guitar from his lap and pick him and he lays his head down on my shoulder and i just hug him and he falls asleep and is snoring within a minute. i lay him down on his bed and cover him up and he's not wearing a dipe so he's either going to wake himself when he pees all over himself or he will need to go to the potty the instant he wakes up. it was so stinkin' cute to see him having fun in the snow.

back to drinking my tea...

~claudia

Mama Faery

01-17-2007, 05:51 AM

Wow, the snow sounds like fun! It's just like, 10 degrees here this morning. *freezing*....but no snow! :irked: At least give me snow with this winter, man! :eyesroll
What a sweet playing in the snow story, Claudia! :love

Heather, :hug I dated someone who was on this spectrum...dyslexic more than dyspraxic, if that makes sense...but he's my age now and works for Apple. :bigeyes Glad you got a diagnosis, at least, and can start working on a solution. :hug

(okay, pausing to get annoyed at the police or fire engine or whatever that just roared down my street, sirens blaring. They're gonna wake Rowan! :irked: Haha. We live two blocks from the fire department--always a place we walk by when we go to the post office)

Anyway, emmalola darling, good for you for making that call! I procrastinate like whoah too, and the telephone+me=Um, NO. I am so bad on the phone. :o So I relate. I also relate to some of the overwhelmed feelings you're having. I'm not pregnant, but I sometimes feel like I have to do so much to get what I want, and I always seem to set myself up for failure. *sigh*
So many :hugs to you. Hope you get some clarity soon. Take care of yourself.

I need to walk more. I have a few hours after our LLL meeting this morning to either go to the gym (blah) or walk around the big mall here (too cold to be outside if it's 10 degrees all day!) so I haven't decided what I will do.

I have my psych appointment this evening. *sigh* Wish me luck. I am both looking forward to it and NOT looking forward to it. :nut
I just need to know what is WRONG with me...

Have a great day, mamas. :grouphug

KKmama

01-17-2007, 08:21 AM

Heather, I'm glad you got more information about C. And I really hope that the information means that she gets more help and the right kind of help. :hug So what *are* you going to do wrt preschool? Any ideas?

EL, I understand just a little too well what you're talking about. (Heck, I've procrastinated on *my* diss *waayy* longer than you have.) I am just nodding my head, about the balance, etc. This is just a very full time of life. I think we do a lot of juggling, and it's hard to keep the balls in the air. (May write more about this elsewhere.)

Renae, good luck to you. Nothing wrong with you. mwah mwah (okay, maybe a little chemical imbalance, but hey, happens to the best of us.)

I have to say, I have been thinking warm thoughts to all the pg mamas out there, all of you. Looking forward to Beth and Lisa's new babies, and finding out Jess' baby's gender, and hoping the sickies go away soon for EL and Jacquie.

jstar

01-17-2007, 01:48 PM

the even more annoying thing was when the lab called they asked if we could come in right then because they wanted to send people home. i told them no because my 2yo was sleeping and scheduled for friday. only to discover after i got off the phone that he WASNT SLEEPING. so gah on that whole thing :lol the suspense is killing me. i still feel like i am 'cheating' and i should save the suspense for labor but i think i could only do that by having no u/s :o

i am going HOUSE CRAZEEEEEEEEEEEEe. i've actually been working today and i suppose i should shower. punkin is down for a nap and we are going to go play in the snow when he wakes up. i'm glad to see it is melting on our front porch a little. i have meetings tomorrow and friday which won't get rescheduled. i'm not so scared about driving my car as i am about other people running into ME.

love M's snow play story :heartbeat. too cute.

renae i hope your psych appt is a positive one. when i feel like 'that' i just want to know WHAT IS WRONG with me too. and WHY ME??? kwim. i always have to think it is not static. it is an ever changing flux of brain chemicals. you can urge them in the right direction and be sure that you won't feel the same tomorrow as you do today. you want it to stay the same when you feel good but are really happy it doesn't stay the same when you feel bad. i always get anxiety in the spring.

nuggetsmom

01-17-2007, 05:09 PM

Lisa - it is cold enough to snow here and I thought it would
Heather - what a lot to digest and it must feel tough, but also glad to know what is going on
EL- You made the phone call. It is hard to get into something that is 1.5 years away. Especially something that big. DH is also a big procrastinator and he is a fan of the "unschedule (http://www.neilfiore.com/nowhabit.html)"
jstar-the suspense is killing me (maybe I have been listening to sesame street too much)
claudia- DH wants guitar hero! Too funny! What a great snow play time

Sarah'sMama

01-17-2007, 07:07 PM

:wave

Hi Mamas!

jstar-I cannot believe you got snowed out of another u//s! Doesn't the weather know that the MMF are dying to know?

I miss elsanne. When ya coming back?

TC-Too too cute about the snow playing story! sure can wipe a boy out!

Sarah-hope you had your walking boots on!

EL-You made a call. That's a start. Starting any project in my book is indeed the hardest. Make small goals for yourself, realistic ones. You can do this!

Lisa-thinking of you and Alison in these final days of pregnancy! My best wishes to you all!

And Fern! Hope all is well with you!

Ducette-very cool about your connection with the hubster!

Renae_::thumb for a great heart to heart talk with dh. It always feels so good to clear the air a bit. Hope all was well with your appt.

KK-you're rocking the soap, huh? Was my lipbalm homemade by you? It is quite yummy, I enjoy it daily!

heatherfeather_ I'm glad you have something to wor with now. I know Miss C is going to thrive in your love and care. I hope you are handling this OK. :Hug I've never heard of it before, but was reading the link you provided, and so now I feel a little more educated. I hope you have a good team of care providers who can get you the help C needs.

Not much here. Sarah was running a fever Monday and Tuesday. Alot better today, but kept her home for a rash on her face. Pretty sure it was due to the virus, but just in case she was still contagious, I kept her home. So I've been trapped at home and going a bit stir crazy! :dizzy: But other than that we're hanging in there. Thinknig of all my maymamas and sending out love!

Mama Faery

01-18-2007, 05:33 AM

Wow, DH put more RAM into my computer and it's like a NEW computer! :carrot It rules. Haha.

As for my appt., well, she changed the vitamins, and it turns out the ones I am supposed to start taking today have SO MANY not-good side effects that I REALLY don't want to go there. *sigh* So I am waiting for her office to open and we'll discuss maybe going back to something I was taking before that worked okay (with some tweaking of doses it might work better) Ugh, I dunno. I want to be fixed NOW. :lol Like it's that easy.
I also have to call my therapist today to get an appointment. I haven't seen this woman in MONTHS. :bag: I hate these phone calls. I hate having to do all of this.

Anyway, thanks for the support. :grouphug I don't know what I would do without my dear May Mama friends! :love

Rowan is still sleeping (after waking a million times last night! :irked:) I am about to get myself a cuppa, first of the day, and I am then going to enjoy the gloriousness of a FAST computer! :jammin

Have a great day, mamas. :rainbow

(I think my nails are getting WAY too long to type properly. Hah)

emmalola

01-18-2007, 10:48 AM

Thanks to everyone for your support (and the very stimulating discussion on the YG!). I was able to make an appointment with this guy, and so we meet tomorrow. I'm so dang excited, I don't even have the energy to worry about what I'm going to wear.

Question for the moms of >1 (sorry McSarahB and Renae :o) When did you start to show? I feel like my body just poofed up in the past week and now I'm super chubby and soft and not at all fit. Even though I've been trying to exercise. My pants are starting to get tight, I'm so not ready for this part. You know- the "i'm not fat I'm pregnant" stage? Ug. And I'm only 8 weeks. For a few days I was trying to convince myself that I was just constipated, but it's not going away! I feel so... so... thick!

I'm super excited because I had enough energy to clean the house this morning, including mopping. People- I haven't mopped anything in months. And I definitely haven't mopped here since we moved in. It was getting kind of... spotty. AND I'm expecting the delivery truck any minute to come and bring us our new furniture. A REAL bed, a REAL dresser (not a bunch of suitcases on the floor!) and a real sideboard. This is truly exciting. So maybe we can start to unpack a little? maybe? Very nice. I'm even washing the sheets so that when they set up my NEW bed, we can have clean nice smelling sheets to rest in tonight. So excited! I've never had a real bed before- only mattress on the floor! yay! I feel so grown-up.

I feel for you housebound moms. There's supposed to be another storm this weekend and I'm just dreading it. I want to be out and about, you know? I can't take the dog to the dog park because it's too muddy, we can't go hiking or snowshoeing because we don't have 4wd, it's all so stifling. I feel like we moved to from the Northeast but brought our northeast weather with us to NM! I keep telling myself that this is good for the earth- we need the precipitation to alleviate the stress from the drought. Snow is the best precipitation we could get, even if it means I have to spend the winter indoors with a two year old. But jiminy crickets, I'm tired of wearing my clonky snow boots!

elsanne

01-18-2007, 11:25 AM

Ack! Not caught up on this thread. LOVED meeting miss emmalola.
But, check out my story on my blog or if you'd prefer, I can post it here. Harrowing travel travails.

TurboClaudia

01-18-2007, 11:49 AM

oh els, i am soooooooooooo soooooooooo glad you are home safely, too.

you rule, mama. :rock:

elola: i felt like i showed really early this past time, too. i needed new pants by the time i was six weeks. and then my retroverted uterus flipped pooched out at around 14 weeks and i felt huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge. i had better clothes this pregnancy, though, so people actually knew i was pregnant much earlier. well, the clothes and the whole subsequent pregnancy showing earlier thing.

going out for a playdate a little later. hopefully marek will stay awake for the 15 minute drive to my new friend's house and we won't have to abandon the playdate attempt halfway there. of course, he will probably be an unreasonable bee-y*tch while we are there, but at least other mamas can help me wrangle him.

:grouphug for the MMF!

~claudia

orangecanoe

01-18-2007, 12:07 PM

Elsanne--I am in awe mama...amazed at the kindness of strangers too.

EL--didn't have time (or brain) to comment earlier, but so excited that you have the meeting. And wooot! for furniture and unpacking and making it more home. I totally got that squishy thing until like 18wks or so I think and then sort of started to look a little pg and not just chubby. :lol

Sherri---how are the girlies?? I hear you on the stir crazy-ness. Yesterday we drove to the park on the way back from errands and played for 5 whole minutes until we froze, but it was something!

Renae--:lol at the wanting the vites to work NOW. I kwym! It is hard to weigh benefits vs side effects...hope you can have a good talk and make a decision that works best for you.

I love the girls' OT. I had left her a message about the dx and the upcoming evals/transition process and she called back today with tons of helpful suggestions. When I get the girls down for a nap, I'm going to call a couple of the hippotherapy places. I can't imagine how excited C would be if she could ride a horse! It's $$, but we'll see. Also inching closer to making some decisions re: babysitting dilemma so we'll see!

Is winter over yet? I'm so not digging our drafty old house at the moment. It hasn't even snowed yet :duck: and I'm ready for Spring.

A&L+1

01-18-2007, 12:44 PM

Yay, els is back! Sorry it was such a pain in the a$$ to get home, but I teared up when read the part about the stranger giving you money. Ah, serendipity and grace.

Heather, your girls' OT does sound great. And hippotherapy sounds so cool (especially if it was hippos instead of horses, but I digress). You are an amazing mom.

Renae, I hope those vitamins kick in good soon! :hug

Today is Alison's last work day before the baby. It's a huge relief that she is done done done. She is due Tuesday. I posted a thread in birth professionals, but does anyone have any words of wisdom on getting Alison to rest after the baby is born? She looked at me like I was insane when I said she should plan to mostly be in bed for a week. What did those of you with two do? What can I say/do to convince her that she needs to prepare for rest time to let her body heal. Here's the link to my other post: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=7052957#post7052957

love to the may mamas!

p.s. Do you think the other moms of babies born in May but not in our year feel bothered by the fact that we think of ourselves as THE may mamas?

TurboClaudia

01-18-2007, 12:49 PM

p.s. Do you think the other moms of babies born in May but not in our year feel bothered by the fact that we think of ourselves as THE may mamas?
:laugh: :insert gaaaaaaaah smilie here:
this made me laugh, lisa...

jstar

01-18-2007, 01:01 PM

i don't know about you guys but i pretty much didn't make it off the couch for a week after birthing. i think that will happen again since i am planning to have the MIL the SIL or my mom here to stay. i think alison's body will naturally make her take it easy. unless her personality is to fight her body messages? it came naturally to me and i am not usually that sendentary. but i was wiped out. i was dizzy and shaky when i stood up for a few days.

i am already trying not to pick isaac up. my back is hurting already. really hurting by the end of the day if i've done a lot of 35lb arm curls. 'you get me up!' he definitely doesn't like that i don't want to carry him down our stairs anymore.

el- i felt so CHUBBY and pudgy until more recently. it pooched so early and my pants didn't fit but it was all guts so it was squishy. the first time the uterus pushes the guts up higher but those ab muscles and tight skin still hold it in. the 2nd time the guts get pushed up and into that previously stretched out baby pouch and you get a nice pouch of guts hangin out there :D FAB! i even saw pictures of myself at a dinner and i looked really big in the stomach but really NOT pregnant. i am still having paranoia that i don't look pregnant. but i think i do now.

and yay on the furniture and getting settled and unpacked. awesome.

we are out of the house and back to the routine.

i'll have to read els' blog. alas it is lunch time and momma needs F-O-O-D

orangecanoe

01-18-2007, 01:08 PM

Lisa-- :lol there are other May Mamas besides us?? :lol re: the other thread.... I think it hit me more after E's birth than C's that it really behooves one to do nothing. For practical reasons, I stopped bleeding a heckuva lot sooner the less I did. I think for mental health reasons (uti's/reflux/ensuing medical DRAMA not withstanding) I did much better bouncing back with time to rest. Reflecting back on what I thought I knew before C was born, it really just wouldn't have made sense before I had her so perhaps just giving her the info now will be enough?? I think you can also honor her need/want to "do" more by figuring out what things won't be as physically taxing.

A&L+1

01-18-2007, 01:23 PM

Reflecting back on what I thought I knew before C was born, it really just wouldn't have made sense before I had her so perhaps just giving her the info now will be enough?? I think you can also honor her need/want to "do" more by figuring out what things won't be as physically taxing.

This is a very good point (honoring her). I suspect that my nesting instincts are kicking in a bit and I am gearing up to be the Protector of her and the baby. I feel all riled up.

i think alison's body will naturally make her take it easy. unless her personality is to fight her body messages?

She is the strongest, most self-sacrificing, English person that I know ("naps are for the weak, sick is a state of mind, all is right in the world if I just can have a cup of tea"). We also don't have a lot of help and within a week or two she will be staying home with both kids on her own. I think she is thinking she should get used to doing it all herself since she's going to have to soon. I want her to take the time we do have to heal for precisly that reason. We don't have much of a safety net and I can't do it for her.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on your meeting tomorrow, EL. Let us know how it goes, rock star.

emmalola

01-18-2007, 02:06 PM

Oh my goodness, Elsanne. What an incredible story. You are courageous. You are amazing. And dang, if you aren't lucky to meet such wonderful people who would willingly help you out throughout the ordeal. Or maybe I'm just jaded?

Did I mention already that it was so great meeting Elsanne and Sol and Amara? Yesterday the lentil was talking about what he would do the next time Sol come to visit. Like it was going to happen next week, you know? So cute. I know I'm delinquent in uploading photos- will do in the next few days. I promise!

Lisa- It wasn't until after the lentil's birth that I made the connection between overexertion and my general health- after a few days I noticed that I bled a heck of a lot more on the days that I went up and down our three flights of stairs than on the days I stayed in with the lentil and nursed. It became a no-brainer. Nothing like some bright red blood to throw you into a major reality check, you know? (and can I mention that I'm so excited for you guys!! when I first saw your name, I couldn't help but think that maybe this was it.... :))

Meeting tomorrow. what do I wear? eeep!

jstar

01-18-2007, 02:26 PM

whatever fits :lol just kiddin. something tidy but down to earth.

ok tell alison the couch not the bed. from the couch she can watch the world go on around her. she can ask you for food and drinks and she can watch E play and for the time you have off with her you can scurry around and tell her not to move a muscle. also the nursing babe keeps you pretty much 'sitting' a lot also. being in bed doesn't sound very appealing -- unless you tell her 'go nap with the babe'. but for all day it is too remote ..down the hall or upstairs, etc. just tell her you're going to do as much as you can while you have the time because you WANT to :wink and that will be the biggest help to her. that was what my family did. just brought me drinks or whatever while i nursed and rested. i couldn't get enough ice water those first few weeks. anyway i'm very excited for you two :) (three)

mamameg

01-18-2007, 02:46 PM

wow, i can barely keep up with the thread this week. i am feeling a bit overwhelmed with my kids/life right now. john started a new job with an increased commute. he's back to getting home around 7:00, sometimes later. :dizzy:

i have had an entire week full of days where I try and try and try to get things done, and nothing seems to move. like i'm in some 4th dimensional holding pattern or something. i feel like i am drowning in laundry and i just can't keep up with it AT ALL. anxiety is high. talk of vitamins is making me wonder if i need them. i am guilty of buying the stigma around them. too bad, because they might have really helped me at certain :gloomy: times in my life.

on an upbeat note, i'm going out on sat night! it's my best friend's bday and the crew is going to a cuban bar (complete with cuban band) in the city. i'm so excited to be going out. it's been aaaaaaaaages. i need it bad. fun fun.

oh yeah, and mia has pink eye. and jett is teething badly. let's hear it for days on end in the house! woo hoo! not.

KKmama

01-18-2007, 03:10 PM

Renae, I had one last thought for you (popped into my head as I was heading to school to pick up T).... if Rowan is still not sleeping well and your sleep is disrupted, it can definitely push you over the edge. In Nov/Dec, L stopped sleeping so well (perma-nursed at night through a big teething/growing jag) and Z went through a phase of waking a lot, too, and it totally trashed me and pushed me over the edge. I don't have any solutions on the sleep front (if I did, I could bottle it and make a bazillion dollars! ;) ), but just wanted to point that out.

I start to show ~20 wks or so (I have a pretty long torso). But before that, I am definitely "not my normal size" (how did you describe it? chubby/soft/not at all fit? uh, check, check, check). EL, did you know that in the 1st tri, bloating and water retention is totally normal, and that some women actually find themselves feeling *smaller* around 12-14 wks when those things can ease for a while? And what you wrote about the weather I could have written. We've had 5 feet+ of snow in a period which is normally dry, and we have thick sheets of ice everywhere. Z hasn't worn his shoes for more than a month (and T takes his to school in his backpack). Total :thumb on the meeting, btw. I suggest wearing clothes. ;)

Hippotherapy and the good OT--rock on, dude. That's awesome.

Lisa, I'm so excited that your baby is going to be here soon. Re that thread--I think that JITMts totally hit the nail on the head, esp. re lochia. She just needs to know that her job post partum (beyond nursing) is to take such good care of herself that the lochia goes away. If it lingers on, if red comes back, she needs more rest. I think you're just going to have to trust that she can be an adult about it and pace herself. The C with T totally kicked my arse. And my 1st V (with Z) was hard, too. I think that one can be wiped out enough that it doesn't take much convincing to rest... (And I didn't really rest after L, because hey--I didn't need to.)

Hey--we *are* the May Mamas (a rock band? a cult?).

Random :hug to Meg (my fellow *April* Mama :wink).

Off to read Elsanne's blog.

KKmama

01-18-2007, 03:20 PM

Holy sh!t Elsanne! I am sending that stranger mega karmic warm fuzzies, and I'm send you 3 chicas mega warm fuzzies for being back in one piece. :hug

Mama Faery

01-19-2007, 09:22 AM

Just poking my frazzled head in to say hello. Sounds like I gotta read Elsanne's blog when I get home! :bigeyes
I am here at my friend's house watching her DS and Rowan (they're watching a signing time video. :bag:) so I have to go.

:grouphug

Hope you have a great weekend, everyone!

elsanne

01-19-2007, 09:34 AM

Hi everybuggy.

Chaos happening around here, so will be popping in n out. My mom just flew in last night. She's here for six weeks.

Wondering what happened with emmalola's meeting.

Sherri, I missed you too!:loveeyes:

Meg: mia pink eye, jett teething, mama needs valium. You poor dear! JK on the valium...of course...

elsanne

01-19-2007, 09:34 AM

I just want to point out how Ducettemama has already joined the MMF team in her siggy! YAY!

A&L+1

01-19-2007, 09:45 AM

I just want to point out how Ducettemama has already joined the MMF team in her siggy! YAY!

I was just wondering what was going on with Ducettemama this morning! How are you?

jstar

01-19-2007, 02:42 PM

my husband is insane. i just embarassed myself :o

orangecanoe

01-19-2007, 02:45 PM

frazzled is a good word renae.

but some good news...we are going to visit the hippos....err horses....next Thursday and they may have a spot for C for the next session (only have one spot left) or we might have to go on the waiting list. *fingers crossed*

mcsarahb

01-19-2007, 03:55 PM

Goodness, Elsanne, you are amazing. I think I would have gone off the deep end if that happened to me. You deserve some serious pampering from Viet in the childcare department.

Jstar - everything ok? A little cryptic message to make us worry!

Heather - good news about the hippos. I hope a. you like it and b. if so, they have a space for her!

Lisa - Just a lot of good vibes from me. Your situation is endlessly fascinating to me, (in terms of parenting psychology, etc.) and I think you do an extraordinarily amazing job at being a mother, wife and provider within your beautiful family. And I'm anxiously awaiting any news! ;)

Megan - Have fun on Saturday and drink a mojito for me, 'k?

So today was my first day of clinic (orientation) and it was pretty darn good. The MWs seem really...balanced...and I think it will be a good learning experience. Maybe more on the YG later. ;)

DH leaves Sunday am and I am starting to get that anxious feeling of oh-my-god-how-i-am-ever-going-to-get-through-five-days-without-him. Mamas, I don't do well on my own. :hide:

OK, speaking of which, he is herding the toddler during his work hours while I do this, so better go do my job.

S.

TurboClaudia

01-19-2007, 04:03 PM

sarah, you want some company next week sometime in the evening while he's gone? i haven;t seen you in forever and i'm sure L & M would enjoy play time... let me know.

fiddle & lisa + alison: thinking of you all...

heather: very cool about the hippos, err... horses. :D

~c

mcsarahb

01-19-2007, 04:15 PM

sarah, you want some company next week sometime in the evening while he's gone? i haven;t seen you in forever and i'm sure L & M would enjoy play time... let me know.

Wow, sure! That would be great. M, T, W I get home about 5ish and Thursday I am free anytime after 3:30 pm.

Cool.

orangecanoe

01-19-2007, 04:21 PM

gah...no fair, I want to go play with you guys too! Must start saving pennies for pdx trip! Sounds like it will be a :dizzy: week, sarah...maybe you and dh need to go out for mojitos upon his return!

jstar

01-19-2007, 07:11 PM

sorry about the cryptic message. dh played a joke on me and it was pretty retarded.

anyway ITS A BOYYYYYYYYYY! no girls for the jstar. i cried at the u/s and the poor technician kept saying how perfect everything looked to make me feel better. and i AM happy about that and i'm fine with baby brother. baby brother will be fun. i just had to let go of the girl thing and it was a little painful :bag: the kinda biggest thing is that she said it was measuring 99th% on everything so she thinks it is probably older than my edd indicates. i'm pretty positive about conception date so i'm going to check for a conception date calculator and see what that says. right now i'm going on lmp. i also think....well isaac is and always has been huge. and you all know i have a HUGE fear of having a HUGE baby. eeeeeeeek scary. plus she was saying my ob may want to move up the date. and all that says to me is 'move up the induction date.' i will stick my ground. i know my lmp and i am pretty positive about the conception date. i'm a little worried about GD tho. when do they usually do that test? i can't remember

fingers crossed on getting in on the horses which may be hippos. isaac LOVES seeing horses. how fun for C!

orangecanoe

01-19-2007, 07:24 PM

jstar---welcome to the two the same club!! it's fun, really! sorry to hear about the sadness though! I think the gd stuff is 24-28wks? iirc, isaac *is* a huge boy...wasn't he the one who was in 6-9mos sleepers at not even 3 mos?

elsanne

01-19-2007, 07:31 PM

AAAAAAH jstar how very exciting to discover you are having boy #2! Hey, that's three for three of the pdx mamas with child #2!

I hear ya mama on the girl thing. I think it's very natural to want a girl, most women I know do--there just IS something about women, isn't there? It's important to have some good men raised by amazing women out in the world.

emmalola

01-19-2007, 08:20 PM

Oh, my. Two boys- there's a part of me that wants two boys, and another part of me that would be so desperately happy with a girl. I want a girl because I love girly stuff. Is that bad? I'm a consumer! But I'm also slightly ambivalent about having a girl because I have such a wierd relationship with my own mom, and because my brother and I are similarly spaced in years and we really struggled in our relationship. I want to start fresh with a boy, and I know I'm good with boys so I'm a lot more confident about parenting boys. I still have like two months before I find out too. blah!

Update- the meeting was today and it went so incredibly well. I was expecting 20 minutes, and we were there for an hour and a half. The only down side was that I was starting to get really nauseous during the meeting but I didn't want to be popping jolly ranchers (my only savior) while having this Very Important Meeting with a Very Important Elder. But he was absolutely wonderful and helpful and amazing and gave me so much food for thought. He also gave me a few phone numbers and ideas, so it gives me a great game plan for next week.

Ug. The morning sickness comes and goes now- I'm completely convinced the acupuncture has done it's job. Incredible, really. But the problem now is that there's this part of me that is freaked out that there is something wrong with the baby and I'm so close to freaking out and demanding an ultrasound or something at my appointment next week. It's so hard to just trust the process and know that whatever happens will happen. I want information!

nuggetsmom

01-19-2007, 08:37 PM

I finally read the blog Els and WOW. Kindness of strangers. And funny about the unkindness of some too HUH!
And why don't airports have playgrounds? Heathrow does.

Jstar, two the same will be fun, but I understand that it must hard to let go of the girl.

EL- I hope it is a girl if you like girly stuff, but I admit that all the mermaids and barbies and polly pockets are making me a little crazy. Especially all the very tiny accesories.:dizzy:
And think of storing the toys for two genders!

jstar

01-19-2007, 09:57 PM

i am into 'girly' too. i saved barbies and dolls and i had visions of my someday daughter playing with those same things and inheriting my jewelry and other girly things. and jewelry that i don't even have yet passing through the family kinda things. my mom has quilts that have gone to the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter for generations. what if the oldest daughter doesn't have an oldest daughter? anyway that is all just schtuff and my mom and i are kind of sentimental like that. i know my mom was dying for a girl too but she held it together really well when i told her (acted very positive). i have a wierd relationship with my mom although we are really close. we have more of a 'struggle' dynamic and she prefers my sister. we just get in headstrong spats if we spend more than a week together. i am more my dad's favorite. but that didn't really deter me from wanting a daughter! c'est la vie.

so 2 boys 3 years apart. they'll have a buddy. i have a basement full of cute boy clothes too so hey...we're all ready! don't have to buy a thing.

emily - trust the glimmers of nausea you still get are a sign everything is peachy in there. and that is great your meeting went so well! it should feel like major progress

sfo has a small playground. we walked for EVER to go visit it last time :wink it is just one tube play structure and a tornado simulator. i was pretty into the simulator myself :loveeyes: i agree all airports should have playgrounds.

TurboClaudia

01-19-2007, 10:08 PM

yay, jstar on the boy news!

i know what you mean about the girl thing. it would have been nice if this one were a girl, but i'm really happy we have another boy. and he's so stinkin' cute! smiley, smiley, smiley, so unlike marek was as a baby and most of the time still is with strangers, but not stefan. nope, he smiles at the produce lady we see all the time at the market, he smiles at other moms, he smiles at himself in the mirror, he smiles at anyone who makes a cute-sounding voice. it never ceases to amaze me how different their personalities are even though S is only 4 months old.

oh, and that's another thing, FOUR MONTHS OLD!!! sheesh, where did the time go? just about this time last year i was in denial that i was even possibly pregnant. weird, weird, weird...

okay, gotta snuggle with my boys for a bit. well, the big one and the bigger one. the little one is sleeping, which is good because he was a velcro baby today and didn't nap well but it wasn't nearly as bad as the other day.

have a good weekend, mama-jamas! MMF!

~claudia

mcsarahb

01-19-2007, 10:13 PM

Hugs to jstar and emmalola. jstar, if you want me to go over your dates with a fine-toothed comb, I will. We just had that lecture. :p Also, I gather you didn't end up with the early GD screen? They usually do the routine ones at about 28 weeks around here.

emmalola, there is nothing wrong with a little paranoia in the first trimester - totally normal. :hug Of course you are worried - you are pregnant. You only have a couple more weeks until the heartbeat, right? Can you hold off until then? And if not, don't feel bad about going for something stronger (i.e., visuals).

nugget - glad you are feeling better.

Off to bed and homework...toodles, poodles.

S.

KKmama

01-20-2007, 08:19 AM

Jess, I was just talking to dh the other day about having 2 boys. When I found out T was a boy, I have to admit (I can finally admit) that I was disappointed. And then I never expected that Z would be anything *but* a boy. While it *is* nice to have a girl thrown into the mix, it has also been a *lot* of fun to have 2 boys. I think they will probably be closer as adults than L will be to either of them, too. (And I will admit that a little bit of me wanting #4 is to have *another* girl--total :bag I know.)

I 2nd what elsanne said--I think about the impact I can have raising 2 sensitive, feminist, peaceful men.

Please try not to worry about the big baby thing. All 3 of mine have been big (I think same range as Isaac). The 2nd baby coming out your hooha is much easier. My ob never breathed a *word* to me about GD, even though my fetuses measured big. She just figured that big, late babies are the way I make them. I hope you get cut the same slack.

OMG--airports with playgrounds--excellent idea.

EL--when I started going nutty about "something being wrong" with L, it turned out to be because I was carrying a girl.

I hear you, TC, about time flying. L is closing in on 9 mos. She's cruising, and she's *big*. (Dh and I were just commenting on how she's well over 20 lbs--per our bathroom scale--and that was such a HUGE hurdle for Z.)

elsanne

01-20-2007, 09:47 AM

G'morning everymama!

Ack.

:coffee :dizzy:

emmalola, so great to have seen thine countenance and imagine the worry-furrows on your brow in person. :wink Pregnancy is such a mixed bag of emotions and try, try to trust the process. I know you know that but it really is all you can do. Maybe look at it as a couple weeks to practice that like a meditation. :shrug:

jstar

01-20-2007, 10:24 AM

oooh sarah, yes please :) my lmp was aug 22. we dtd aug 31. we only dtd one other time that cycle which was a few days before i would have gotten my period. and i had already had a faint faint faint + test by then. so i'm pretty sure it was the 1st time in the cycle that did the trick. plus i felt sore boobs by the end of labor day weekend and took the test which yielded the faint line sept 4. so by my calcs it was an early ovulation and i'd probably be due closer to may 24 than may 30. my ob is using may 30.

mostly i just hope he isn't born on may 26 for isaac's sake :wink

thanks kk for the encouraging words about big babies and the 2nd birthing :) and how fun 2 boys are. (and i love the recent pics your dh has posted of your kiddos :heartbeat ) i really expected this one to be a boy although i was obviously holding out hope. i thought it *might* be a girl because i had been so much sicker this time. part of the reason i decided to find out was because i knew i'd be crying in the delivery room :lol

claudia - i hope our 2nd one is as chill as happy S. isaac was a fussbudget.

you know the best thing about this time around? i don't have the 9-month internal debate i had about circ!

it's funny because i have blue paint (really light light muted blue) and i've been bugging doug to paint the bedroom. he asked if i was sure i wanted to paint it blue before finding out. it would have been pretty for a girl too but he did have me 2nd guessing myself. ha. now i think it will be perfect. i am always the painter around here so that is my goal for the weekend. doug just took isaac to swimming so i can do a little work this morning. i'm so swamped at work right now. bleh. luckily i brought stuff home.

mcsarahb

01-20-2007, 11:21 AM

DucetteMama21842

01-20-2007, 06:28 PM

Gosh.. it's been awhile since I've checked in and I feel sort of bad since I feel on top of the world right now.

I, at the moment (and it will probably change within an hour.. :lol ) feel like I have my kids tackled. Isaac has finally hit the point where he is really communicating with his "eeehh!" cry and pointing and they both are playing fantastically together. Well.. Dom has been dying for this moment as he's been so excited over Isaac and Isaac would never play with him until now. I feel like they are at the perfect age and I am just enjoying them so much. I feel like it only gets easier from here once Isaac starts conversing, and that's such a relief. But in way, it's like saying goodbye to my baby. :crying Even though he is a toddler.. I considered him my baby still- and a part of me always will- but he's turning into such a big boy now! Right before my very eyes..

Life is a beautiful thing.

Now.. for jstar... I have a special message for you.

With Isaac I had an ultrasound to figure out what the sex was/other reasons and instructed the tech to ONLY tell DH. DH was the only one who knew and I have a problem of figuring out his suprises... so I told him NOT under ANY cirumstances to reveal the gender to me- this would be the one suprise he was totally in control of. He didn't.. but I had myself CONVINCED it was a girl. I spent a TON of money on pink clothes/accessories- basically anything girly I could get my hands on. All through my pregnancy I was convinced it was a girl... even labor. I brought THE most beautiful outfit to my birthcenter and as I pushed Isaac out.. they said, "Oh my goodness! It's a boy!" excitedly, and all I could think was- "Oh crap- I am going to have so much stuff to return!" :lol :duck: I really was in awe of my beautiful son, and I really was excited to have him- but because this is online and I feel safe enough to admit it- I mourned a baby I felt I had lost. I know it sounds totally stupid, but I felt like I was missing the daughter I had prepared for.. where was she? It took me a little bit to get over- so I feel knowing before hand is definetely better than after the fact. And you know what- I am SOOOO glad it was a boy. Dominic and Isaac have a blast together and play with each other in only the way that brothers can. I love it.. and while I still keep hope for a girl- I did come to the acceptance of loving having two sons. So, don't worry- it's normal to feel a little deflated of your hopes for a daughter- but you really will enjoy having two boys!:hug

jstar

01-20-2007, 08:05 PM

dang we're in aquaducks at mt scott too. 9:35 class. i wish lily and isaac were in the same class! dh came home and said 'isaac is the oldest by a long shot' :lol that's so funny

awww ducettemama - that is a sweet story. i'm so amazed your dh let you buy all that stuff without letting out the secret :shy what a man. that is exactly how i feel --i'm just feeling it now rather than at the birth. and that was part of the reason i wanted to find out i decided. because i think this is our last babe i knew i had a lot vested in the possiblity of girl or boy. and i did kind of feel like i was mourning yesterday. i woke up feeling a lot better about it today. i talked to my friend who has had 3 miscarriages in a row now and she said at least you can have a baby! and i DO feel so immensely grateful that it looks like a healthy baby in there and that it has been easy to get pregnant. i'm happy. i'm curious what this little guy will be like and look like and all that stuff :)

elsanne

01-20-2007, 09:36 PM

Any names picked out, pregnant mamas?

Jacqueline

01-20-2007, 10:00 PM

Hi all! It's me, the ever-tardy May mama! I have been reading, just not writing. I spend my free time trying to eat small snacks or resting. That's the height of excitement here in our home lately.

It's been a yucky week for me, nausea-wise. I've thrown up multiple times, always at night. It just ain't fun. But, I'm 12 weeks tomorrow, so I keep thinking it's gotta get better sometime soon, right???? Though, with G, I think I was like this until more like 14 or more weeks.

On to May Mama news:

Jstar-Wow, 2 boys! Everyone has said some wonderful things about the girl/boy conundrum. I feel a lot like you and Emmalola. I would really like this one to be a girl. Yet I know a boy would be wonderful and great and all that. I thought G would be a girl, and when he came out and wasn't, it just didn't matter. We are not finding out because 1) our insurance doesn't cover u/s (heck, it doesn't cover birth), so unless something else warrants it, we won't do it; 2) our midwife doesn't do them anyway; and 3) we still want the surprise. Part of me really wants to know if it's worth hanging on to all the boy clothese we have, but we also have lots of non-gender specific infant stuff because we didn't know G's sex. So, I think some of it will be used anyway.

There is something about a girl, and I've had dreams this one is a girl and tend to think of this baby as "she." I realize I could just be projecting, though, so I will prepare myself for whatever. And, this *is* it, girl/boy or what have you.

Emmalola-Glad your interview went so well. It must feel so good to get something done like this. I've been following the YG convo, too. Small steps like this have a huge impact and do make a difference.

I'm also glad the accupuncture has helped your nausea. I had that done when pg with G but that was in another city, so I haven't hooked up with one here. Maybe I should try it. Did you find the needles helpful or the herbs or both? Last time I went when pg with G, she recommended ginger tea so I did that each morning. However, the thought of doing that again makes me nauseous, so I haven't tried it.

Goodness, I'm neglecting many of you, I know. Thinking of fiddle and Lisa/Allison and anxiously awaiting happy news!

Oh, and Elsanne-I was reading your blog and wishing so badly that we still lived only 45 minutes from the Houston airport like we used to! And, it's not for just anyone I would wish I were back in Texas, believe me :wink . I'm so glad it worked out....I know so many folks who live in the area that we could have called on your behalf, as well (remember that if you're ever unfortunate enough to have to get stuck there again). I'm glad it all worked out, but, man that sucks. :hug

And as far as names, we've had the same girl name picked out for 10 years: Julianna Grace (would probably call her Annie as Julia was my grandma and Julie is my sis). No boy names, yet. I've never liked many boy names; Gabriel is my fave :o We kinda like Joel. I've always like Matthew, but it's so overused.

Must veg for a while in front of TiVo. Night, all.

Mama Faery

01-20-2007, 11:28 PM

I'm up soooooooo late! :yawning: Because I watched AFI on SNL tonight! :carrot I'm such a fangirl! :lol
But goddess, SNL SUCKS nowadays (Except Weekend Update. That still rules)!
I haven't watched it in a looooooooong time (because, really, up from 11:30-1am??? No WAY!) and I am disappointed. Some skits still made me laugh though.
I remember staying up late to watch Aerosmith play on Wayne's World, back when SNL was the best thing *ever*. :D
Okay, enough gushing out of me. :shy

jstar, two boys! Wow! My friend just had TWIN boys (in addition to their 3yo girl!) so um, yeah. :dizzy: :hug
I think I may have shared this before, but I had been hoping for a girl when I was pregnant with Rowan. I had one pregnancy several years ago, and I lost it, and somehow, I was sure it was a girl, and I mourned the loss, but when I became pregnant the second time, I guess I was hoping for that little girl spirit to return to me. DH even had a couple dreams of us having a girl! :bigeyes
I also think I was fairly certain, even back then, that I would only have one biological child.
So...I wanted to know beforehand. Clear as day, it was a boy, and I admit it; on the way home from that appointment I cried. I had to let go of that wish for a girl and then I thought "oh crap! I have no boys' names!" :lol

And, of course, now I can't imagine a life without my Poopy McPooperton. :wink
Those girly wishes are SO valid! :hug

Speaking of Rowan, we went to a friend's birthday/housewarming party this evening, and he was up till 10pm! He was the only child at the party and he was just so, so cute. He had such a good time. At one point I was rocking with him in a rocking chair, and he lifted his head from my chest and said "Mama, go sit over there!" and pointed to a hard-backed chair in another part of the room. I told him I wanted to stay in the rocking chair and he said "But that one DOESN'T rock" so I looked at him and said "You just want me to sit in that other chair so I don't rock you to SLEEP!" and he said "Yeah!"
:lol Such a party babe.

Okay, it's way too late. I think it's time for bed. Still not sure if I will sleep in and miss church tomorrow. :bag: There's a congregational meeting that I should go to, and I have leftover brownies to bring to coffee hour. :p

Have a good night-er-morning, mamas! :grouphug

jstar

01-20-2007, 11:58 PM

Well, May 30 is better for the whole induction thing, right? The later the better. By doing the routine rules I get May 29 or 30. But you are right, it would have been an early ovulation, or your DH's sperm could have stuck around a few days. I think the later date is better in terms of induction risk, though. And the US is saying what date? There is a newish rule that says that in a 2nd trimester US, if the ultrasound and LMP dates differ by +/- 14 days, go with the US. But if it's withing that 14 days, go with the LMP. But of course not all OBs follow that rule. You could play that card - I think it's an ACOG guideline - if you do get the induction pressure.

forgot to answer this. i don't think it could be off by 14 days. if anything it is all within a 5 or 6 day period.....which to me isn't a huge deal. i'm not sure what my doc will say. he isn't super induction happy but he also does it. last time at 41w he told me i could make an appt to get induced if i wanted. i didn't. he did make one for the day before i would have hit 42w. i was really ready and already dilated quite a bit so while i wasn't prefering to induce i was pretty sure at that point that a tiny nudge was going to produce real labor. (thankfully i went into labor the day before.) i read about obs on livejournal that 'dont go past 41w and require NSTs after 40w' and he definitely isn't in that vein. i never had another u/s or anything. so i'm pretty sure he will be laid back. unless the size thing worries him :shrug: it kinda worries me. but i also have read so many times about u/s weight estimates being off by 3 or 4 lbs. but from what the technician said all the measurements indicated it was probably older than i thought. or just big. i can't even remember when my next ob visit is.

i don't know....i'm still relative light years away from having to worry about it.

names. gah. i have had a boy name i love for 2 months now and dh doesn't want it (jasper). so we've gotten nowhere yet. boy names are so hard i think. we had a girl name we both liked (beatrix and call her bea). i decided i'll just call the kid jasper no matter what we name it :lol

you are up late renae :lol i can't imagine life without my 'little man' either. he makes my day, every day. i'm sure it will be like that again.

jaqueline - i'm so sorry you are barfy! ugh. i seem to get past the nausea mostly by 15-16w. so you're getting closer!

i should be going to bed too :shy

Miss Juice

01-21-2007, 07:42 AM

*bursts in the door, gasping for breath after running to catch up*
*collapses on the floor, panting* I'm still here!

jstar, on the Fear of a Huge Baby - what KK said is true (I think it was KK, my head is spinning from all the catching up), the second baby is just easier, or at least that was my experience. My first was average-sized, 7.12, and pretty textbook labor and delivery. My second was much bigger, 9.2, and a whilrlwind 3.5 hour labor with about 10 minutes of pushing, no tears or anything. My third (and final, thank you) was 10 lbs 9 oz, and the easiest labor of the three. Longer than the second, but easier. His delivery was difficult but that was because he had his cord super-tight around his neck, not so much because of his size. I pushed for less than a minute with him. So a bigger baby doesn't necessarily mean a harder labor or birth. Someone told me once (maybe even my midwife) that a bigger baby is usually fatter, and fat is squishy, so not to let it worry you.

How big was Isaac?

Miss Juice

01-21-2007, 07:48 AM

I must share a cute conversation I had with DD2 the other day. She climbed up on my lap to give me a hug, and then she sat back and examined my face. She reached up and stroked my eyebrows and said "Mama, what's this?"
Me: Eyebrows.
DD: Eyebrows?
Me: Yes, eyebrows.
DD: You have eyebrows.
Me: Yes, I do have eyebrows.
DD: I don't have eyebrows.
Me: Yes, you do.
DD: NO, I DON'T!! (very emphatic about this)
Me: (chuckling of course) Sure you do. Everyone does.
DD: NO, I DON'T!! (she grabs her forehead and pulls back her hair with both hands. I almost pee in my pants)
Me: Sure you do. They're right here. (I took her fingers and put them on her eyebrows)
DD: (her eyes get super-big, and this expression of wonder is on her face) Mama, I have EYEBROWS!!!

It was sooo funny. Love the toddler conversations.

Jacqueline

01-21-2007, 07:58 AM

Renae-I was so thinking of you when we stayed up to watch SNL ourselves. Luckily, in the Mountain time zone, it's on from 10:30-midnight, so we usually see the first 1/2 and then fall asleep in bed. I worked till 9 last night, so I had a little extra energy to burn, I guess :wink Anyway, when I saw them introduce AFI, I put 2+2 together and realized that was *your* AFI :p The show ain't what it used to be, but we still watch, just to keep up with the kids, ya know. "The First Person Dancing in the World" skit was kinda funny, but maybe we were just exhausted.

Miss Juice, love your eyebrow story. Very funny. They are very sure of themselves at this point aren't they?

Also glad to hear so many say their subsequent birth(s) were easier. G's wasn't awful, by any means, but I am looking forward to spending much less time in labor. I know it could also be longer, but I'm hoping for the best.

Off to find some breakfast.

Jacqueline

01-21-2007, 08:01 AM

Oh, and I wanted to give a shout out to Heather....I've been following all your posts and just wanted to give you a :hug. What a strong mama!

KKmama

01-21-2007, 08:11 AM

Actually, what Danile said is totally why I needed to know when I was pg with T. I wanted to not be sad about anything when he was born, and I was afraid I'd be a little sad if he turned out to be a boy. It was really good for me to have a few months to privately get used to it (we didn't tell anyone the gender till he was born).

Jess, even though L was my smallest (by a couple of ounces, at 9 lbs 2 oz), she had the biggest head, and it was still the easiest birth, easiest recovery, etc. (And head, not squishy fat, is what matters when you're pushing it out your yoni.) I was on my hands and knees, and I think that's a *great* position for birthing a big baby.

Also, my babies have always measured big on u/s--usually ~6 days "ahead", but I've never had my edd moved up. I worried through my pg with L that the labor was going to be really long (like Z's) and that pushing was going to be hard (like it was with Z), and it was all worrying for *nothing*.

Maybe this is a weird thing, but I take pride in producing big, healthy babies. You should too. ;)

Jasper is a *beautiful* name (it has been on my list, and dh has crossed it off). Julianna is lovely, too.

Jacquie... I have been passed a *ton* of girl stuff, and I still have a ton of it. Would you like me to select the nicest stuff and bring it to you the next time I'm hopping over the mts (in late March, I think)? Are you okay with pink? I'm afraid I'll be cursing you to have a 2nd boy, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather give this stuff to. :kiss

KKmama

01-21-2007, 08:13 AM

That purple face is supposed to be a kiss. mwah mwah to Jacquie. :wink (Dunno if what I said about girl clothes came off the way I meant it--what I mean is that golly gee, I'd be so excited to pass you girly clothes!)

elsanne

01-21-2007, 08:45 AM

Jacquie, you would not beLIEVE the # of times I wished fervently for the same (that you still lived there). Thanks for the nice thoughts.

HiLARious conversation Juice! I am so glad to see you back here, I was wondering if you had dropped out or were just skipping school.

toddler on lap, in my way, baby crying. guess that's all for the moment.

elsanne

01-21-2007, 08:51 AM

More to say on this but everymama: my mother is here.

Yeeeaaaah.

orangecanoe

01-21-2007, 10:54 AM

....

TurboClaudia

01-21-2007, 11:54 AM

els & hf: argh on mothers.

juice: :wave was just thinking this morning where you had gotten off to.

ducette: omigosh, he kept the gender of babe #2 a secret for the whole pregnancy? even amidst the girly clothes buying? and you didn't make him tell you? wow to both of you.

totally last minute, we made the 3 hour drive up to seattle (and then afterwards, the 3 hour drive back home) to have dinner with my sis who is there for a librarians conference. she flew in from michigan in hopes of networking and perhaps scheduling some interviews for library positions in the northwest so they would move here after graduation in late april. yay! she has an interview with king couty (seattle area) libraries tomorrow morning, so send her some good vibes. oh, and on the drive, both of them slept most of the way up AND most of the way back down, too. crazy.

fiddle's mama blessing is this afternoon, and miss sarah-bee and miss jstar will be there, too. yippee! i will try and get piccies.

~claudia

Miss Juice

01-21-2007, 12:32 PM

HiLARious conversation Juice! I am so glad to see you back here, I was wondering if you had dropped out or were just skipping school.
Aw, thanks :loveeyes: I never think anybody misses me. I've actually been coming too class (most days) but I've had, um, laryngitis. Actually DS insists on holding my hand while nursing, so I can't really type then, and since that's the only time I actually sit down these days, it's been hard to post.

Maybe this is a weird thing, but I take pride in producing big, healthy babies. You should too. ;)

:yeah:
fiddle's mama blessing is this afternoon, and miss sarah-bee and miss jstar will be there, too. yippee! i will try and get piccies.
I'll be thinking fine fiddly thoughts for you this afternoon, ffern.

Jacqueline

01-21-2007, 12:39 PM

KK-some girly clothes would be super. However, make sure you keep what *you* might need first :wink Getting some of your stuff would be very special and knowing that Miss L had worn them only adds to it:loveeyes:

This is actually the second offer of girl clothes I've received since being pregnant...with G, I received lots of boy clothes from people we knew (before we knew he was a "he"). I'm not going to take it as a sign, though.

Of course, this week G has been saying there is a girl AND boy in mama's tummy. TWO babies. I don't really think so (yet he told me there was a baby in my tummy before I even knew I was pg). When we hear the hb on Friday, I guess we'll know. Twins don't even run in our family, so the chances are totally slim. And, please, TWINS? I don't even want to go there.

Making Arthur mac 'n' cheese for lunch....better check it (I'm such a chef today).

TurboClaudia

01-21-2007, 12:58 PM

meant to write this earlier but this dang mamabrain forgot--

jacquie: i know your labor with G and mine with M were soooooooooooooo similar, and i fully believe that i manifested my much shorter labor with S AND the fact that M slept through the whole thing in the room next door and i didn't have to worry about a care provider for him or that bill would be pulled away from laboring me to attend M. visualize, visualize, visualize...

~c

jstar

01-21-2007, 01:25 PM

i'm excited for the blessingway. i just hopped on here to check what i need to bring before i get in the shower. yippeee

isaac was 9lb2oz. i'm SO happy to hear stories of bigger babies that are easier to birth because isaac was so hard on the yoni. and i was proud of his size mostly because he really *never* seemed frail to me. he could hold his head up from day 1 and was just a solid little thing. oddly his chest was bigger than his head. i didn't worry much about him stopping breathing or anything. he just felt so 'there'

cute story juice :lol

jasper came to me either in a dream or 1st thought on waking up and it was the first name i felt a 'bond' to. i just started calling it jasper and dh says 'so you think its a boy?' i guess it is as close as i get to any woooo intuition. i wish dh liked it. but he says middle name is ok.

KKmama

01-21-2007, 03:40 PM

Thinking warm fuzzy thoughts toward Fernie (don't I always? :loveeyes:)

Jess, maybe you can work on him. :wink

Jacquie, I don't know why, but I really think you're having a girl (and I'll admit now, I really thought Jess was having a boy). I'll work on the sorting.

TC, I hope your sis gets a NW job. And *wow* on the drive.

Hugs on the mother front.

We're getting *yet more snow* so I doubt I'm going to make the drive down to the other end of the metro area to see my mom tomorrow. Enough with the snow already. :irked:

Mama Faery

01-22-2007, 06:42 AM

Not much time to post but I am thinking of you all with :love!
Miss Juice, of COURSE we miss you! Glad to see you back! :hug I get that way sometimes too, but I think it's just my oft-depressive state: "oh, woe is me, no one would care if I dropped off the face of the planet!" :violin :lol
NOT to say YOU were doing that! It's just what *I* do. Hehehe.

Yeah, SNL, not so great, AFI=GREAT! :wink I laughed during the "First Man Dancing" skit too though. That ruled. Weekend Update still made me happy too.

Anyway, we're going to a friend's this morning, and we're still in our pajamas. Rock on. I have a million loads of laundry to do (HOW does this happen?!) and Rowan is watching Caillou. :bag: I have to convince him that wearing a heavy coat would be a good idea in the SNOW.
Yep, finally snowing here! Nothing major, but it's cool. Heehee.

You're all in my thoughts. Elsanne: :Hug Fiddle, Heather, everymama: :grouphug

More later!

DucetteMama21842

01-22-2007, 09:14 AM

Yep, he kept it a secret the whole time... but I will not take credit for not trying to pry it out of him. :lol I definetely put an effort forth. :lol Isaac was two pounds bigger than Dominic... and was born at 7#10. The ultrasound tech (I know.. by that time I was anti u/s.. but he was breach... so i picked my battles..) told me Isaac would be close to 11#. That was only a week before he was born. Soo... I take what they say with a grain of salt.

My biggest advice... DON'T STRESS! Let nature takes it course, you'll be fine.:hug :heartbeat

elsanne

01-22-2007, 09:19 AM

here's my parenting Sol struggle of the week:

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE OBSESSION FOR SWEETS AND TV????

These are limited items, but not forbidden--she sees tv at other houses, and constantly clamors to go to those houses. She has sweets at other houses, and constantly clamors for sweets.
She asks for one thing (want cookie, mami) then when I tell her where/when she will have cookies (not here or now) she either fixates on it, asking over and over, or she goes to the next vice: (wanna see tv, mami). Repeat story.

So, it's not that she is not allowed these things, which would be my first thought about why she is obsessing. I know both things are addictive, but what gives? This is ridiculous.

mamameg

01-22-2007, 09:20 AM

The ultrasound tech (I know.. by that time I was anti u/s.. but he was breach... so i picked my battles..)

Hey now... you are apologizing in a "no apology zone". We here in MMF land, do not require, expect or otherwise desire apologies for choices you make. We trust you to do what you feel is right at all times, and will accept no apologies for that watsoever. :wink :p Serisouly, we are all on our own path and are learning as we go. No one should ever feel bad about that. :grouphug

Okay, gotta run. Off to Trader Joes.

elsanne

01-22-2007, 09:21 AM

Hey now... you are apologizing in a "no apology zone". We here in MMF land, do not require, expect or otherwise desire apologies for choices you make. We trust you to do what you feel is right at all times, and will accept no apologies for that watsoever. :wink :p Serisouly, we are all on our own path and are learning as we go. No one should ever feel bad about that. :grouphug

Okay, gotta run. Off to Trader Joes.

:yeah: Is she not the coolest, this Meg creature? It's true, ducette--we are a special non-judgmental corner of MDC. We don't agree on everything (thank GAWD) but we don't harsh on each other either.

KKmama

01-22-2007, 09:26 AM

Got up before the crack of dawn to send T and dh on a school ski trip. :thumb (Okay, occasionally, the snow *is* useful for something, though I'm glad that they're going on a school bus and don't have to drive.) When I dropped them off, the sky was lavender, the mts were pink, the fresh snow was obscenely sparkly... Okay, yes, yes, this is all why we moved back to CO from CA.

Z (and Miss L, of course) and I are going to our playgroup "alone" today. We'll go to a cafe afterward with some friends (for some reason, Z gets really excited about this, even though he generally doesn't get a treat when we do this). I think he's excited about being the big boy today. He's also asked to make popcorn this afternoon...

Danile, I told my dh about what you said (not finding out/getting lots of girl stuff), and he was incredulous. "He let her do that and he didn't say a peep???" :lol

Els, Z has had candy literally about *twice* in his life, but he's been talking about it A LOT. (T didn't at this age, because of course he hadn't even had SUGAR by this age, forget about CANDY. Much easier route, but with the orally challenged 2nd child, we did things differently.) But for him, I think it's totally a hypothetical thing. He likes to let me know that he likes it and he wouldn't mind having some. (Right now.) :dizzy:

DucetteMama21842

01-22-2007, 09:30 AM

Well.. not that he didn't say a peep. Actually, the story is pretty hilarious. He was VERY serious about not letting me find out the real gender. The US tech kept saying "he" this and "he" that... so when we left the appt. I was balling I was so upset that the gender was exposed when I clearly stated I didn't want to know! Trying to keep the secret and calm me down he made the single biggest mistake in that situation, :lol he told me, "well.. when she showed me the sex.. there was nothing between the legs. Doesn't that mean girl?" From there.. I lost it. He tried quite a bit to say, "It could still be a boy. What are you going to do if it's a boy?" etc. throughout the rest of the pregnancy.. but there was no stopping a mama with a girl induced obsession. :lol So.. there's the full story.

KKmama

01-22-2007, 09:32 AM

Yes, total :loveeyes: to Meg. And she's right. Don't apologize.

I'll even go so far as to say that I have had the nuchal and 20 wk u/s done in each pg (and about a billion u/s done to monitor my plentiful and painful ovarian cysts, in part to avoid surgery), and for *me*, it's about feeling that everything is okay and not worrying. Yeah, I know that something *could* be wrong that wasn't detected, and that radiation is probably not good for fetuses, but for me, it's a trade-off for the peace of mind. If we have a 4th, I will do all this again (though I would consider a hb next time). :grouphug

KKmama

01-22-2007, 09:35 AM

Okay, I'm chatty this a.m. One more thing--will you mamas help me come up with a sr. title? It's something I needed to do, oh, about 1000 posts ago.

mcsarahb

01-22-2007, 09:36 AM

ACK ACK ACK emergency, emergency. WHHHHHYYYY does this happen to me?! DH left yesterday, nanny just called in sick (horrible cold, nausea, cramps - ick) and I have clinical today 12-6pm. Not class, which I could easily skip, but clinical, that I need to go to in order to have a case study to present on Wednesday, and that if I miss I have to make up during Spring Break. :gloomy: :gloomy: :gloomy: The nanny felt bad for calling in but I know she is really sick - I don't blame her one bit. Actually, I blame, DH.:irked: No, not really, it's just circumstance. UGH UGH UGH Now I have to call my 2 "emergency" back-up CCPs but I am pretty sure neither of them is available today. UGH

ANYWAY, on a lighter note, Fiddle's birth blessing was won.der.ful. Sooo nice. A room full of awesome women surrounding her with positive energy. I'll let her tell the story, too. It was so nice to see Claudia and jstar, too. And I might see Claudia again tonight, although I must tell you, C, that Lily is a bit snotty. I'll keep you updated.

UGH, back to freaking out...:(:(:(

S.

elsanne

01-22-2007, 09:40 AM

Oh, Sarah!!! egads!!! Wish you could just drop L off over here.

kk, you are chatty! And that is truly INCREDIBLE that your kids have had sweets twice in their lives. I mean, it is a daily struggle for me because of how Mexicans feed their kids--they see nothing wrong with a lollipop for a baby--

A&L+1

01-22-2007, 09:46 AM

Hello may mama madames,

We had a nice weekend. Alison is not feeling birthy yet. The baby is feeling different to me – more squashy and it’s a lot harder to feel the head. I have very little experience in feeling tummies and determining positioning, but I was a little worried when the baby seemed to shift so much. I am thinking that it’s just the baby shifting down and the head is too low to hold, but I have a teeny tiny worry about breech or posterior presentation after she told me she felt big movement all over and then little movement down low. She’s back to feeling movement on top though, so I am reassured for the most part. OB appointment tomorrow during which I am going to ask that she show me more about feeling for position and also let her know that I am interested in catching the baby. :thumb

Jstar – I totally understand where you are coming from with wanting to know the gender so you can get used to it. I have lesbian friends who had an ultrasound with both of their pregnancies because they really wanted a girl and couldn’t imagine raising boys. They ended up with three boys (one singleton and TWINS) but there were a lot of tears and just coming to terms with it that had to be done. They are great parents of boys and have been so taken by it that they laugh at some of our girl-trials with Eleanor (doll obsession in particular is amusing to them).

EL _ I am so glad the meeting went well! I hope you can feel peaceful about the pregnancy – all is as it should be, but as someone who suffered from pre- and post-partum anxiety (undiagnosed, but of so clear in hindsight), I feel for you. :hug

Jacqueline, Thanks for checking in with us. I was hoping that the sickies had already left you. Sorry it’s been rough on you.

Hi Juice and Ducette! Both of you had cute stories to make me smile this morning. Hats off to you.

On Moms – I hope that time you have to spend together is full of blessings (despite the struggles). Just think, our moms feel/felt about us what we feel about our kids. I am just in awe of that thought.

Love to fiddle – I hope you had a glorious blessingway.

Hi Renae! :wave

I know I am forgeting people but I have to work.
:heartbeat

elsanne

01-22-2007, 10:04 AM

On Moms – I hope that time you have to spend together is full of blessings (despite the struggles). Just think, our moms feel/felt about us what we feel about our kids. I am just in awe of that thought.

This blows me away too. Also makes me incredibly sad, for reasons I need to really dig into to understand.

Also thinking of fiddle's blessingway--lighting a candle with everyone even though it's over--

Excited about Alison. What a fast pregnancy it has seemed to me! Maybe not to her, though---

jstar

01-22-2007, 10:17 AM

We don't agree on everything (thank GAWD) but we don't harsh on each other either.

which is why we are all great buddies a few years into this :loveeyes:

[QUOTE=KKmama;7085263]When I dropped them off, the sky was lavender, the mts were pink, the fresh snow was obscenely sparkly... Okay, yes, yes, this is all why we moved back to CO from CA.

this hits me in the heart. (the heart of jealousy!) you know i have a hankering for a skibum lifestyle with diamond-glittery snow and fresh tracks and high altitude sunshine. if we lose our house to bankruptcy for a gone-under business endeavor we'll head for a snowy sunny town and clip tickets for the rest of our lives :D and be totally happy. and that sunny ski town is not in oregon. actually we'll head to my parents new mountain house and move on in and we joke about this to them frequently. much to their chagrin :lol

here's my feeling about u/s. i think any cell death that might happen is likely comparable to us going out and getting a sunburn. a few cells here and there may not be a big deal. maybe it is worse earlier on when there aren't as many cells and everything isn't formed yet--but those u/s are so short because there isn't much to see. i mean it all *could* be damaging. maybe you damage a cell that turns to cancer 60 years down the road. but there are so many other contributing factors to cancer 60 years down the road. i can *for myself* rationalize that the 20w one is ok in my risk-benefit analysis. the benefit just being that i feel good knowing nothing majorly wrong appears to loom. and when i see that little mouth opening and closing and those little hands moving around and grabbing it feels a lot like i'm going to be having a BABY. eeeeeeeek

and i AM trusting in the process. i'm going to try REALLY hard not to get the epi this time. you know i'm mega pain wimp. and even though i also have major needle phobia the pain phobia outweighed the needle phobia last time. i'd LOVE to try birthing on hands and knees. so that is my goal :wink

time to shower i spose. i have been going to doug's office and my office on mondays now that my playgroup is kaput. but today i think i need to clean the house. clutter consumes US!

i hope beth is feeling READY now after her blessingway :heartbeat it was really sweet. that baby was definitely feeling the energy! that is so exciting.

and oh yeah candy. this is us and candy ----> it's an obsession. and unfortunately we have christmas candy around still. i need to make it disappear. but i don't eat candy so i really just need to throw 98% of it in the trash. i use gummi bears for potty treats. even though i know the reward system isn't a good approach. i bought a sticker thing for the bathroom wall this weekend so i'm trying to transition to that 'reward' instead. still a reward system but i'm trying to get some motivation going. here are our latest potty interactions:

isaac hunched over somewhere in a corner
'are you pooping?'
'i'm not done yet'
'do you want to sit on the potty and poop?'
'no i'm not done yet?'
'hey! lets try potty!' pick him up to head to bathroom and try to remove dipe.
*screaming screaming nooooooooooooooooooooo! you leave it ON*
ok. i lay off. he poops in the diaper.
'i poop. i get gummi bear'
'no you only get gummi bear when you poop on potty not in the diaper'
he hops on the potty and pees after i wipe him up
'now i get gummi bear'

:dizzy:

ok advice. just let him poop in his dipe to his hearts content? offer potty one time only and leave him be? it feels like we've backslid because i used to catch him in that phase and take him to the potty and he'd hop up and poop. i think i need to remember they backslide sometimes before they make the big leap. i know i need to lay off but it is sooooooo hard :bag: