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Chit chat thread: 11/16 - 11/22

1K views 52 replies 17 participants last post by  Angelorum 
#1 ·
Not a whole lot of posts this weekend -- did everybody do some amazing things over the weekend?

Things here were pretty low key this weekend. On Saturday, the oldest was supposed to compete in a middle school swim meet here in town, but it was canceled due to weather (so much snow around us overnight...even in my town, where we typically don't get a lot at once, we got four inches!). So. ..we did a lot of nothing except go to mass Saturday evening. Today dh had to work 8am-10pm and I didn't feel like taking him and picking him up, so he took the vehicle and wet just hung out at home all day (last night out got down to -23°... it did warm up to 13°, but we still didn't really go outside).

I'm 15 weeks today! I feel like this is both flying by and dragging. The weeks fly, but the days drag on (such is the life of a mother in general!). My clothes all still fit, but my jeans are getting a bit uncomfortable over my uterus, I think. I might start thinking about digging out the super comfy maternity pants for this reason! I wear my leggings often, but only have two pairs and not so many tops to go with them!
 
#3 ·
Saturday we went back down to Ferdinand Indiana for a disappointing Christkindlmarkt -- they touted it as being "authentic" but it just made us sad. However the monastery (confused as to why it's not a convent since it's sisters and not monks...) was beautiful! We were supposed to go to a birthday bash for a friend, but due to being tired and wanting to avoid pressure to drink (which always happens with this group) we opted to stay in and do a mini marathon of Star Trek DS9. Also, since I wasn't feeling great DH surprised me with cleaning the entire upstairs while I dozed on the couch, including changing the sheets. :)

Sunday was another laid back day. We went to Mass, got home and I can now say that I've joined the ranks of pregnant women who can't tolerate drinking coffee. I took a sip and everything came back up. Made me really sad because I was really looking forward to my Sunday cup. We also passed out for a 4 hour nap yesterday, and woke up to snow! We only got an inch/inch and a half here, but I'm excited.

So far today I've dealt with yet another medical bill (thank goodness for medicaid while I'm in the job hunt), and had to confront our neighbors about letting their dog do its business in our front yard - they were apologetic, but denied the poop we found yesterday (we saw it happen). It just frustrates me that people can be so discourteous with their animals. We've always been really careful to not let our's go in what would be considered someone's yard here. Aside from that I need to get some ground beef thawing, inventory the freezer, soak some beans, and do laundry. Oh, and write my paternal grandfather about the baby (technically his first great grandchild since the others are my aunt's stepsons), and look into calling my maternal grandparents when it's a decent hour on the west coast.

So, anyone reading anything fun right now? I finished WWZ, and am onto the Years of Rice and Salt, which I think in a way is related to the whole apocolit genre since the basis is that the Black Death killed 99% of the population in the 14th century.
 
#20 ·
So, anyone reading anything fun right now? I finished WWZ, and am onto the Years of Rice and Salt, which I think in a way is related to the whole apocolit genre since the basis is that the Black Death killed 99% of the population in the 14th century.
I'm reading Spiritual Midwifery right now. I avoided it before because I had heard it was really heavy on the hippy-dippy kind of stuff. And it's true, the language is kind of giggle-inducing (lots of talk of vibrations, and things feeling heavy, or telepathic, or high). But I'm actually really enjoying it. There are just a ton of stories in it, and the women had such a grateful attitude about everything, even when things weren't going exactly as hoped.

For fiction, I'm reading 100 Cupboards. It's a juvenile/YA fantasy often recommended to Harry Potter fans. It's fun so far.
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#4 ·
@judybean I am feeling the same way re: clothes. I feel so much bigger in just the last week. My cords were so uncomfortable yesterday (usually fine in the morning but I get so bloated) that I broke down and bought a few new maternity items... but can't find any trousers that were remotely a good fit. I did find some decent shirts in Old Navy, a cardigan, and a tunic, but I need trousers and jeans. I was pregnant mostly through the summer last time, and all my clothes from my first pregnancy are old and really out of date (not that I am any fashionista!).

We had a super fun Saturday. We had a bit of an impromptu gender reveal get together. I just posted about it. My neighbour and friend opened the envelope with the sex of the baby written on it (we had the materniti21 testing a few weeks ago) and made a box of balloons for the kids to open. It was a super, super fun afternoon - with some lovely friends in attendance.

Sorry if this has been asked already (this past week has been so busy): what are people doing for Thanksgiving?

Anyone else dealing with pregnancy insomnia? I wake up at 2 or 3am every single day and fall back to sleep around 4:30am just as my 2 year old is waking up for milks. I am so tired.
 
#5 ·
I am starting to wear some maternity now but mostly because of comfort. We have a sono and blood draw tomorrow and my first mw appt isn't until the 9th of December. I wasn't going to schedule the sono but my uterus is really high even though it's not poking out a ton.

I had a stressful week last week. My grandma passed last week and Friday was her memorial service. I was there with her when she passed and it was a blessing so help comfort her but it was so intense. There are SO many family divisions in my extended family that everyone went into Friday's memorial service on edge but everything went beautifully.

We have missed about 4 weeks of school due to me not feeling well but are back at it today. I am 12 weeks 2 days and still feeling sick but it comes later in the day/evening. So ready to the nausea to be done.

I think we are going to my inlaws for Thanksgiving. I am just not in the mood to cook.
 
#6 ·
acordio - So sorry for your loss! :(

zubeldia - Yes, I also wake up around 2am every night. However, I've noticed that if I eat something with protein around midnight when I wake up to pee, my blood sugar doesn't drop as much and I am able to fall right back asleep when I wake up at 2am.

judybean - OK, wow, that's COLD. I would also stay indoors until the thaw. :grin:

We had back-to-back children's birthday parties on Saturday and then just lazed around the rest of the weekend. We went to fly a kite, ate out by the ocean, and took long naps. It was perfect. :smile: Then last night I didn't want to cook so we went out for pancakes for dinner. Bad, BAD decision. I had the worst headache and just felt all-around ill about an hour after eating. I had to drink some ACV, which took the edge off, but I tossed and turned all night. I hate that I get so sensitive to carbs when I'm pregnant!! :(

Last week of school for my son before a week-long Thanksgiving break! Hubby was going to go to a conference next week but I said NO WAY, you're staying and helping me with our son. So he's staying. :grin:
 
#7 ·
Judybean- I am feeling a little better about our temps here compared to yours. It is a high of 26 with windchill of 5 right now. I just want to hibernate until spring.
 
#8 ·
acordio- So sorry for your loss. :(
montessorimomma1- Woo hoo for keeping DH home next week!




























This time of the year, I'm extra glad we are in Florida right now. It's down to 66 tonight, and I'm very happy to be able to put on a sweatshirt and drink hot cocoa. Hearing the REAL cold you are experiencing helps put my cold weather in perspective. :)




I've settled into my traditional pregnancy insomnia routine. Awake from 4-5:30. Seems earlier than usual...


My 15 month old has RSV and strep. :( What was a cold for the big kids settled right into his poor little lungs. He stopped nursing almost 2 weeks ago, and flat out refuses the breast. since there is a little bit of milk there, I've been pumping and hoping that will help.
 
#9 ·
Popping back in to say that I told my maternal grandparents earlier. My grandfather answered the phone and after I told him who was calling he said "So, you have a big announcement for us?" and then cracked a dirty joke. I could hear my grandmother's grin all the way across the country. She's really excited for my mom to be joining the grandma club (my mom is the oldest of five girls and the last to join) and told me to make sure to take care of myself and keep from stressing out and get plenty of sleep. I also penned a quick note to my paternal grandfather letting him know that he will officially be a "bisnonno" (great grandfather in Italian) come May. I have a feeling he's going to be ticked by that :)
@judybean -- totally in the maternity clothes club right now - none of my button ups or non-maternity pants fit -- not two things you want to find out when trying to get dressed for Mass in the morning!
@zubeldia -- yup, I've had the 4am run to pee ever morning for the last week, which has also resulted in buying a nightlight for the bathroom so I'm not killing my hip on the counter or the doorknob and waking the household up.
@acordio -- I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother! May her soul rest in peace, and the rest of your family find comfort. And I'm kinda with you about the whole not wanting to cook for Thanksgiving. I hope dinner with the in-laws goes well.
@montessorimama1 -- Woot for you getting him home for a week! Mine has a similar break, but I have a feeling it will be full of him prepping for finals and grading portfolios.
@harmie0515 -- I hope your little one feels better soon. I always found when I was nannying that when the under two crowd comes down with stuff it's the pits.
 
#10 ·
judybean I'm with you on the cold! Neg 15 windchill today. I told DH I officially don't like working anymore. It's not the job, it's the part where I have to leave my house and drive in snow and ice. And be outside for recess duty when it's like 1 degree outside.

I'm 15 and 4 and getting to that point where I love food. Still have hyper preggo nose and am constantly telling the kids to brush their teeth or take the trash out or find whatever stinks.

Baby was kicking me while I was sitting in class waiting to help my kiddos this morning :) My big kids can't wait to feel the munchkin.

I am also to the point of maternity pants. Went on a desperate search Fri night, found one for sure good pair, need to wear the others, have one pair of elastic waist jeans.
 
#19 ·
I'm 15 and 4 and getting to that point where I love food. Still have hyper preggo nose and am constantly telling the kids to brush their teeth or take the trash out or find whatever stinks.
This! I keep telling my kids to stop talking to my nose. Gross.

Had a sono today and I am SO relived that there is only one baby in there. My uterus is high but doesn't seem oddly big. I am just under my belly button at 12 weeks 3 days though. They also dated me as only one day sooner than my calculated due date and that gives me hope that I might not have a 10+lb baby over here. Seriously I am a little scared.
@Peaceful-Mama. I SO want a new vehicle!! I would love a brand new odyssey or sienna. Those are some sexy vans.

I don't know how you call keep things strait on here replying to everything.

Thanks for all the condolences.
 
#11 ·
@accordio , I'm so sorry for your loss. May her soul rest in peace and may your family, and those who loved her, find peace in her passing.
@harmie0515 , I totally giggled at drinking hot chocolate because it was down to 66°! It's all relative, I suppose! It got up to 16° today and that's really the warmest it has been in days!! And it's "only" supposed to get down to -17° tonight. ... Hoping your little one feels better soon!
@zubeldia , I woke up at 4 am and could not get back to sleep at all! ! I need to get a baby monitor. That way, when I can't sleep I can at least go and sew and do something productive!

I still haven't busted out any maternity clothes. I did find a pair of jeans on my shelf in the closet that I didn't realize I had and they fit a bit roomier in the waist, so they're quite decent right now. ..but I still notice the presence of my uterus more and more. I don't know why it shocks me continuously still, but it does! I'll be like, "Oh my gosh! I'm really having a baby!" I'm still in denial or something. Which is probably why I haven't gotten out my bin of maternity clothes. That and there was no time today with the elevent million lags of laundry I washed and folded today. ..
@justlizzy , for more apocalit, I'm currently reading the Slow Burn series by Bobby Adair and really loving it! The books are super cheap on the Kindle (you can get the first three as a set for just 99 cents).
@montessorimama1 , was the ACV to cut Durden on heartburn or headache? (I've taken it for heartburn. .. but I've Gurren a few headaches in the last few weeks and have no clue what to even consider for dulling them..or finding the trust. ..so frustrating)
 
#12 ·
Angel, my mom bought a Honda Odyssey van in 1997 and it's been the best car she's every purchased. It went from my mom, to me, to my next sister and now my youngest sister is driving it. It has something like 240,000 miles on it and it's still chugging along. The early models of the Odyessy were some of the best most reliable vans. The size is great too.

I have a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat. I bought it because it's the most narrow on the market. Besides it weighing like 30lbs, it is a great seat and I've been happy with the expensive purchase.

We didn't do much over the weekend, but I did take the trek to the next big town yesterday to get my blood and urine tested and to get our internet router working again. It took all day, but I was totally successful and we have high speed internet again! I also was able to get a PO Box, which is amazing as we haven't had a mailing address in 5 months! The post office told us on Friday that it would take up to 3 months, but it only took 3 days, yay!

Sorry I missed personals, our internet was out for 3 days and I am too far behind to do them all..

Just to make everyone laugh.. It's been cold here the last few days, like 70 degrees during the day and rainy. I put on leggings. Brr.
 
#14 ·
Just to make everyone laugh.. It's been cold here the last few days, like 70 degrees during the day and rainy. I put on leggings. Brr.
lol... I totally laughed at that ;) I'm just excited that it's supposed to get up to 15F today and only down to -1F tonight (which is better than the -10F that I had to get out in this morning)...
 
#13 ·
On the narrow car seat bit, we have two Diono Radian RXTs (they were formerly called Sunshine Kids Radian, but now are Diono). The four year old and two year old sit in them and will for most of their time sitting in car seats! My four year old is quite tall (and I do have tall kids... my 12 year old dd1 is maybe a quarter inch shorter than me...and I'm 5'11") and she still has plenty of time for using this seat.

I just saw Diono now has a Pacifica model... and seriously... that orange has me completely swooning over here. I'm pretty sure baby #6 gave two thumbs up to that. Tax return splurge here we come!

And more car seat talk... I need to check our Chicco Keyfit 30 and see the expiration date. I think it should still work for the early days with the new baby (we got it before dd4 -- now 4 -- was born), but it's important to look it up.
 
#15 ·
Just a few random things to share
1) I really, really want an 8 seater Odyssey. 5 kids with the baby, plus DH me and my mom justifies it.
What I will probably actually get is DH will find a bench seat for either our Yukon or current van that have captain seats.

2) I found out this morning when I got to work that I needed to take a test for work today. I passed! (I'm a para at an elementary school, state law requires this test.) I missed two in the math section, nothing else. Pretty darn good considering I have been home for 7 years and out of school myself for like 15. It was probably algebra, and everybody knows you don't use that anyway, LOL

3) I put on my latest-acquired maternity pants this morning, and they totally highlight the bump. :) I think I actually look pregnant today as opposed to just fat LOL.
 
#16 ·
I still haven't busted out my maternity clothes yet, but I've definitely retired a few things that no longer fit. 90% of my clothes are stretchy cotton skirts and shirts, so they will go awhile yet. I want to save my maternity clothes for later because I can't buy new ones and I'm prone to ruining clothes. Heh.
 
#17 ·
I'm heavy on clothes, too, @Abraisme

So sorry for your loss, @acordio How are you doing this week?
@justlizzy, a lovely reaction from your grandparents!

It's cold here in maine, but nothing true dreadful YET.

I'n still taking zofran and today I just feel really nauseated. I pushed myself to eat (as I think that huger triggered a horrible resurgence) and I'm doing my best not to throw up. I'll be very glad when I don't feel so terrible.
 
#18 ·
@judybean - I take ACV for controlling my blood sugar after I've binged on carbs. It's a life-saver. I also take it for heartburn, which I never had until this pregnancy and it works wonderfully. I knew my headache was associated with my food intake because I was also feeling generally icky, which happens when my blood sugar goes through the roof. I'm not sure if it will work for other types of headaches, but it's worth a shot. I know it works for any digestive-related headache issues...
 
#22 ·
@acordio separate posts with quotes help me keep things straight, when I'm too lazy to do it all in one post :p

I've been wearing maternity pants for weeks, and I'm only 13 + 4. I don't think I'm any bigger than normal, the maternity pants are just so much more comfortable. I mean I could bust out my belly band and wear regular pants unbuttoned, but that still isn't as comfortable as the maternity ones. I'm finding the underbelly pants that I couldn't stand near the end last time are fitting the best right now. I'm still in my regular shirts for the most part. At least the ones that are stretchy and long enough. I'm determined to have enough comfortable clothes that I like to wear through to the end this time. I outgrew a lot of stuff at the end of pregnancy #2 , but didn't want to buy more (plus, there is nowhere in town to buy maternity clothes except walmart, and those might as well be made of paper!). And then of course, nothing fits quite right for a the first few months postpartum and it just led to me feeling awful about my clothes and body for way too long. My mood probably shouldn't be so connected to my appearance, but I've decided that there are enough crazy mood things to deal with during the baby making process so I might as well just accept that I grew up in a culture that is hyper focused on women's appearances and do what I reasonably can to make myself feel better in that regard.
 
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#23 ·
@Angelorum, good point about comfy postpartum clothing. I like a lot of the maternity/nursing hybrids for this. They're built to be roomy enough for pregnancy, and then offer ease for nursing as well afterwards (and often have ruching among the midsection, which is not binding and nicely camouflaging for postpartum bellies).

I've actually decided that investing in nursing tops is more cost-effective negate I wear those for years instead of a few months.

But I also have a nice collection of maternity clothing with child #6 on the way. I do think a few quality, comfortable pieces that make you feel good in pregnancy are absolutely worth it!
 
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#24 ·
I had to switch to maternity pants at 9 weeks this time around. I don't know if my pre-pregnancy pants were just snug-fitting in general, or whether it was just the way they were cut, but I was totally unable to button them, and the rubber band trick just looked funny (seriously, how do people get it to lay flat and not poke out of their shirts in a weird way?).

I'm new, so I thought I'd just jump in with a tiny introduction. DH and I have an amazing 2.5 year old DD, and we're due with baby #2 May 9th. I started feeling nauseous at 4 weeks exactly, and I've been miserable since. I'm 15.5 weeks now, and yesterday and today were the first times that I had periods during the day that I didn't feel utterly nauseous and exhausted, so I'm really hoping this is a sign that the end of the "morning" sickness is in sight!

I am an elimination communication and babywearing enthusiast, a CPST, and I plan to be a Montessori teacher once our kids are school age. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!
 
#25 ·
Angelorum, could DS1 go over the back of the 3rd row to get into his seat? My friend has a flex, and has her 2 younger kids' seats in the second row, and then has her 6 year old climb into her booster from the trunk. She can tip her bench back, I think, to make it easier for the kid to get in, though she doesn't always need to. I'm not sure whether the 98 odyssey seat tips back like that, but even if it doesn't, it might be easier than trying to squeeze him past the carseats through the side doors. Alternatively, maybe having him get in through the front passenger door and then walk through the center aisle to get back there?
 
#26 ·
There is no center aisle, or side aisle even in the old Odysseys, the middle row is a bench that goes all the way from door to door. The only way to get to the back seat is to either fold one of the middle seats down (the sides fold down separately), or have him climb over from the front or back. The back seat folds away, but the back folds forward onto the seat first, so it's not that useful for climbing over. I'm sure he could manage to climb over anyway, but I'm thinking that will make muddy footprints everywhere. I'm not really sure there is a better option, we might be able to fold one of the middle seats at least partially if we just had an infant base installed, but we've always just started our babies with a convertible car seat. Plus, that would only work for as long as the baby fit in the infant seat. Or we could have one of the smaller kids sit in the back. DS1 will be in a high back booster by then, which would be easier to move out of the way to fold a middle seat so I can get the little one in the back, but that sounds like more trouble than having DS1 climb.

I still really like my mini mini van, it's comfy for me to drive and not too hard on the gas bill. It's worth it to me even if I have to deal with footprints all over the back once the baby comes.
 
#27 ·
Angel, I've trucked around many children in our old Odyessy (when I owned it) and somehow we always managed to get the kids in the back. Going in through the trunk works and we would always try to put the bigger kids back there who can buckle themselves.

Sickness is making it's rounds through our house this week, on and off fevers, headaches and now my DS is vomiting. Boo.

My midwife hosts a pregnancy support group. Last night no one showed up but me. I basically got a 1.5 hour midwife appointment for free.. Well, minus any of the medical stuff of course.
 
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#28 ·
Sorry I'm not going to be able to do personals today.

We are having car seat vs car dilemma as well. When we upgraded our car we made sure we could fit three car seats across in our backseat (to avoid getting another car in the next few years). Only problem is we have to replace all three car seats that we currently own. It sounded like a better idea back in July.
 
#30 ·
I've been meaning to chime in since the beginning of the week but have just been soooo exhausted!

I am amazed by how many ways this pregnancy is different from my first. This week's weirdness is cravings. The only craving I had last time was fruity mentos and that wasn't very strong. Today I ate pickles and potato chips for lunch and I swear it was the best lunch I have ever had. Delicious! And the craving was incredibly strong - it was like I had to have this horribly unhealthy lunch. I guess it's better than eating a whole tray of brownies, but I'm really trying to eat healthier and not gain 50+ pounds this time around so I'm going to have to resist the insane cravings, or at least try to keep them to a minimum.

At 13 weeks I'm making the transition to maternity clothes. I could probably squeeze into my regular clothes for awhile yet, but like others said, it's mostly for comfort. I have no desire to just feel yucky all day when I could wear some nice forgiving clothes. Right now I'm layering my down vests over top of my shirts. If I didn't it would be totally obvious I'm pregnant, but I haven't told everyone at work yet and am hoping to hold out for a while longer. If it was warmer that would be super tough, but since I can wear vests and scarves without looking unreasonable I think that it's not too noticeable.

I had so many other thoughts I wanted to share, but they've all left my brain... oh well.:laugh:
 
#31 ·
The other day, as we were getting on the ferry to come home, I ran into a co-worker. We said hi, etc. I introduced him to DP. A while later, still waiting to get on, I guess DP forgot co-worker was like two steps away. We were talking to a nice mama with a toddler and DP said that er were expecting another, plenty loud enough for co-worker to hear. So. I don't think he'll tell my boss, but he definitely heard because the next day at work, he asked me about my family and whether we done with one kid. I said "for now". lol. Still, I can't believe I'm 16 weeks and still getting away with not telling my boss haha.
 
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