[AmyGirl28]

Well, it is evening here (530 pm) in California and no one has started the weekly chat. So, I did it.

It seems like time is just flying by. I am in the middle of week 17, almost half way there. Whoo Hooo!

Not much is new this week, just keeping busy. I threw my SIL a baby shower this weekend. It was fun. Not many people RSVP'ed, but those who did brought their husbands and children. Everything went as planned. Might I add that my SIL is HUGE! Her last baby was 8 lbs. 14 oz. I swear this one is going to be over 9 lbs. Her doctor gave her two options... induce or cesarean. That's doctors for ya! I just hope that everything goes okay for her. I'm glad that small babies run in my family. I was 6 lbs. 6 oz. DD was 6 lbs. 4 oz. I am hoping that this one is a little bigger, but not too big since I am trying for VBAC. 7 lbs. would be nice.

 

[meagen]

Good luck on the vbac, AmyGirl! I'm quite happy this week, I'm officially halfway through! WooHoo!! My ultrasound is on Friday, and I'm soooo excited to find out what this little soccer player is! The kicks are unreal! It is even more active than dd.

Other than that, just getting ready to host a wedding shower tomorrow, and then start packing for a week-long camping trip through Yellowstone. I'm very excited, and VERY thankful that we bought a pop-up trailer last year. When I went camping while pregnant with dd, it was miserable.

Hope everyone has a great week, and I'll let you know whether it's Liam or Grace!

 

[Awaken]

Hey all,

I was about to start the thread if no one else had.

I scheduled my ultrasound today, 2 weeks from today, a couple days after my birthday. What a nice present

We're not finding out the sex, but I am SOOO excited to see the baby! Esp. since I"m not feeling a ton of movement (that might be different in 2 wks though) I really want to see him/her wiggling around.

I went to a new chiro on Sat. and really liked her- I had been seeing someone last yr but she wasn't holistic at all, and put words in my mouth and made up symptoms I didn't have! This one is, well, if not entirely crunchy, into healthy living and even asked if I would be having the baby at home or in the hosp.

I put in a call to the homebirth midwife- I am seriously considering it. Dh is shakily on board- concerned about the financial aspect of course, since the birth center is fully covered and a hb we would end up paying quite a bit out of pocket. It is so hard to decide- hopefully I'll be closer to a decision once I talk to her.

Sat. was such a neat day- after my horrific day on Fri. I stopped by this really cool consignment shop and browsed forever, then later we all went the the thrift store and got new toys for ds and maternity clothes for me. Then I got home and had 2 packages- my swap stuff from Amy, and more maternity clothes from ebay! Actually the ebay clothes aren't too great- they looked ok in the pics but IRL they are NMS. Then we went to a birthday party and ds actually behaved relatively well and we had a nice time with our friends.

It's back to work tomorrow!

 

[flapjack]

Aargh- it really bugs me when people get all hysterical about big babies. Saying that, I'm pretty sure this babe is much smaller than my other two- I reckon he's not going to weigh in at much over 7 lbs, maybe 7 1/2. (feel free to save this thread if it turns out I'm wrong.) I haven't had any of the backache I had early with the other two, and my pelvis is only just starting to complain...
I hate chicken pox. I hate my house. I hate my children. I hate having to drag a poorly, whingy person on the school run. I hate fathers day, when I haven't done the shopping for it yet, and I hate people who comment on my kid's chicken pox. I mean, do I tell teenagers they should put tea-tree oil on their acne? The elderly that they should use cinnamon e.o. on their rheumatism? So why the hell does everyone think I don't know about calamine lotion?
Vent over. Sorry...

 

[memory maker]

we are having a busy week here. My ds has soccer camp in the afternoons, swim lessons at night. Some time this week we have story time at the library, but I cant remember when. I have been having terrible trouble with my allergies (so have my kids) I am not taking anything for them, but somedays I wish I was. I think I blow my nose a hundred times a day at least.

 

[DreamsInDigital]

My birthday was a total suck fest. My work day was horrible and to top things off, my daycare provider had a family emergency and will be out the entire week! So I'm scrambling to find someone to watch my kids for the week and I have NO warning. Ugh. Not to mention I didn't get a single phone call or card or anything.

There's my vent for the day. Sigh.

 

[*Amy*]

Oh DID, I didn't even post happy birthday to you, and I had it written down and everything.

: I feel terrible.

I still have some cake left. Want to come over and eat the last piece with me?

 

[DreamsInDigital]

It's okay Amy. I don't eat cake or sweets because of my hypoglycemia, it makes it worse (which is really weird!) but if I were anywhere near Ohio I'd come visit you anyway. I'm just wallowing in my self pity this morning, don't mind me! :LOL

 

[HoneyTree]

Flapjack and DreamsInDigital, I am sharing y'all's sucky vibes this week. I won't bore with the details, but a bunch of crappy things in a row have made all the little stressors, which are usually cloaked by bigger, happier things, stand out in sharp, jagged relief.

Let me just share one thing that isn't connected to anything else in my life, but that made me cry for a good while this morning:

My husband and I carpool in the the university, where we both work, and were trying to cross the street from the parking lot to the building. A frantic little squirrel was trying to cross the street, too, about 20 feet from where we stood, and he didn't make it. The person in the car that hit him didn't even tap her brakes, even though the squirrel was quite visibly dancing nervously in the other lane the whole time. And the squirrel didn't die right away, but lay writhing in the gutter for a full minute.

I have a midwife appointment this evening, and while I initially was going to try to put off the doppler for one more visit, I think I'm going to go ahead and hear the heartbeat. I just need a little life sign today.

 

[MamaFern]

hey all you pregnant mommas

all is well here.. we were away for the weekend visiting my SIL and her two kiddo's ( 2 1/2 and almost a year old) its a bit insane with 3 kids under 3 in a house, i must say :LOL

im 18 weeks 3 days today i think.. i cant really keep track, and days seem to be flying past! june is halfway over.. what happened? november seems to be getting closer and closer, to me anyways.. i have so much to do before the baby comes!! so much to knit and sew and make beautiful.. does anyone else feel this way?

its still 2 weeks away till my next MW appointment.. ive been feeling good though.. baby has slowed down on the growing a bit, but i was ravenous yesterday and again today, and thats what happened last time then, MY oh MY my belly grew.. so who knows.. :LOL it really seems to come in spurts for me. i know when my belly is growing fast too because sometimes when im lying in bed and roll over i get these crazy pains in my side and groin.. ligiments stretching i guess. but it hurts..!

not many other complains. im happy as a clam.. nesting already i feel like. i wish my house was bigger, i just cant really make it feel like a baby haven yet..maybe thats what my project will be today.. i really want to have pregnancy and birth altars in my room. ive also been thinking about getting stuff to make a belly cast.. i know its early but i had all intentions of doing this with elwynn and didnt get around to it and feel so sad that i didnt so this time i want to just have it and do it whenever i feel like it.. maybe even do a few at different times and paint them up beautiful. im feeling very artistic these days

 

[Bex80]

Hi all, thought I would jump in as I feel lonesome in my pregnancy these days.

I'm 17 weeks and some change today. I have my ultrasound scheduled fro June 29th. Very excited! We are going to try to find out the sex, as I am not patient enough to wait 20 more weeks.

I am feeling worried because I don't really feel this baby moving. People I talk to are trying to reassure me that it's normal, and that I'll probably be feeling more movement in the coming weeks. Frankly, I'm just not reassured at all. I don't know why I am taking a pessimistic outlook, but I am just so much more scared and worried this time around.

I felt some movement last week, and I think I felt some last night. Very very light taps. Almost like a muscle twitch.

I've been reading in the birth loss forum (I don't know why!) and just scared myself more.

I feel lonely. I need to cheer up, and get out of the house. It's supposed to be over 90 today though....

Thanks for listening.

 

[samsmamma]

Well, I am definitely feeling better than I was yesterday! So that is good. Well, emotionally, anyway. Physically - not so great. I had a business dinner last night (food sucked!) and went I went to get a cab home I called DH, hoping Sam would be asleep and that we'd have some nice time together and he says - can you bring home an air conditioner? Our AC died. Literally fizzled out, smoke and everything. Now, our apartment is on the top floor of the building and because of the way our street curves, we don't get any cross breeze, especially not in the bedroom. So it was unbearable. At about 11pm, he headed out to at least fina a fan. It was so hard to sleep - Sam and I ended up in the big bed and DH slept in Sam's bed. The fan helped, but it still wasn't a good night's sleep. Today he is going to Target to buy a new AC for the bedroom and then we'll also get one for the front of the place, too, to make it better.

Well, this AM on the subway, I couldn't breathe. I have a hard time with subway stairs - did with Sam, too. And the heat doesn't make it any better, of course. So it was just really hard. I just want to get home, take a cool bath with Sam, get the AC installed, get Sam to bed and hang out with DH.

And if one more person tells me how utterly completely huge I am for 4.5 months, I am going to smack them. Yeah - guess what - I'm a big pregnant lady! I have a big belly! There is one other pg woman in our group - she's due Monday, actually - and she is tiny. She's a marathon runner so she was always really really lean, and she seriously didn't start showing till she was about 7.5 months, so that is what everyone has as a point of reference right now. Silly.

More and more people are saying it will be a girl. So we shall see! I'm thinking girl is a big way, too. And I've been right with everyone that I have known, so maybe I'll be right this time, too.

 

[Queen of Cups]

Hi, everyone! My week is going okay, expect that the day after my m/s sickness finally stopped (at almost 16 weeks!), I came down with a terrible cold. So, for the past few days I've had a sore throat, sneezes, clogged up ears, and congestion. Bummer!

I actually had several BHctx yesterday, which kind of freaked me out. DH and I usually walk anywhere from 1.5-2.5 miles most evenings, but last night we did our big walk, 4 miles. By the time we got home I was having a few contractions, so I laid on my left side and had a glass of water and they quit. It just seems early for that... I'm 16w2d today.

I'm starting to nest now, too. I've let the whole houe totally slide for the past three months while I've been sick - and even though I have a DH and a sister who live with me, aparently no one else can pick crap up off the floor, wipe counters, or do laundry. grrrrr By best friend from college arrives tomorrow night, and I need to get the place livable by the time she arrives.

 

[AmyGirl28]

Don't worry Queen. I had a few Braxton Hicks contractions last week too. Maybe just try to slow down a bit. I had been drinking Pregnancy Tea every day and I stopped because I thought maybe my uterus was getting a little too in shape. I will probably start up in a few weeks again. This week it has been harder to get up due to ligament pain. Boy that little person must be growing like crazy in there.

 

[*Amy*]

I just got a haircut and I am totally in love with it. It's almost exactly like Amelie's. I feel like a new person!!

:

 

[Slackermom]

I've had such a week. First, one of my beloved cats was diagnosed with cancer, and I had to drive him across three provinces for surgery at the vet college. He's home now, and doing fine, but we're still awaiting the biopsy report.

Then, my darling dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer!

And just to top things off, my DD got her first stomach bug, and it's been barfapalooza around here for the past few days. Ugh. Oh, and I nearly forgot, the week began with what was supposed to be my graduation party, which got hijacked by my MIL's drama. Ugh ugh ugh. I've been averaging about three hours sleep per night because of all the accumulated stress (plus I've had to take time off work), and I just want to run away to Tahiti and NAP and not be on-call for anyone!!

Okay, vent over.

I'm about 18 weeks, and feeling much better. Although, I *am* getting concerned about how badly I've been eating. I feel like I never have time lately to put together a decent meal. I try not to eat junk, but I'm not eating as well as I should.

Oh, one more vent. I'm SO tired of people telling me I'm going to have a boy! not that I wouldn't love to have a boy, but people are just assuming that because I already have a girl, I must want a boy. I'm stubborn and don't like being told what to do, so I'd like to have a girl just to prove them all wrong! :LOL

 

[snugglebutter]

Hey mammas!

After 7 appts over a two week period (1 with regular ob, 1 with specialist, 2 with chiropractor and 3 midwife consults - oh, and they told us the wrong day with the specialist so that was an extra trip) I am thrilled to not be doing much this week!

We have a new midwife! It was a fairly easy choice for us, both logistically and by our gut feelings. This midwife is at the same hospital as the perinatologist - and they both speak highly of the other! That gave me a lot of reassurance. Plus, if the baby needs to come early (we have a few high-risk issues) the midwife can still attend the birth. Still, I do have a lot of sadness that we can't use the midwife that attended Kira's birth. She really means a lot to us (she moved).

I've been noticing a lot more movement this past week, which has been fun. I bought some flannel today for sewing diapers and plan to order a pattern later this week.

 

[3for3hb]

Bex80,

I just wanted to tell you that it's my 2nd pg and I was definitely feeling movement a lot earlier than this last time. I get a lot of braxton hicks and sometimes I wonder if that's the baby movement but it doesn't feel at all like when I was pg with ds. I actually don't really think that I have REALLY felt the baby move either. And yeah, it kind of freaks me out but we'll be able to hear the heartbeat in a couple of weeks so... I'll just have to be okay until then. My belly is showing so I must be pg.

flapjack, I love your attitude. You and me both!!! I just want bite everyone's head off.... and I love my family but yeah, there are many times when I hate it and just wish I was alone and had some peace and quiet.

Queen of Cups, I know the grrrr feeling about no one else knowing how to do things around the house. I mean, I can't complain, dh tries but he always does a halfway job so it's almost like it's no help when I have to go after him and clean the rest of the way. And he is definitely not possessed by the same cleaning demon that I am.

Anyway, as for me, yesterday was an absolutely down in the dumps shi**y day. It was dh's first day at work up here, and he is gone from 8am to 7pm. He comes home for lunch and I tried to catch up b/c ds has been an absolute pain in the butt to me. Poor little guy, his incisors are coming out so I know he's dealing with it in his own way (um.. err... nursing constantly!!!) but I just couldn't take the ENTIRE day of whining. We went grocery shopping in the afternoon because we needed something for dinner and I really wanted to get out of the house and he whined the whole time. By the time dh got home (and he was in quite the jolly mood, all excited about his job etc) I was fuming. I wasn't mad at anyone in particular, really, my nerves were just shot and I was completely touched out. I just wanted to go upstairs, lay down and cry myself to sleep. Dh asked how my day went or something like that and I said something that made him ask if I was lonely and that opened the floodgates. I cried and cried. It's really hard being in a completely new area and feeling all alone. I am still not orientated and can't get around very well. If I was by myself I would have no problem exploring etc. But with a 16 month old it's kind of hard to get lost and try and find your way back and get in and out of the car to check out places of interest.
Anyway, dh ended up blowing up at me because he "didn't like my attitude" and of course I didn't take that very well. And then I got confused in the middle of cooking so I asked him to check on the meal and see if he thought the fish and corn needed more time etc. And then he blew up at me because I didn't know what time I started cooking them. All the while ds is running around screaming and whining. The house is a mess, there are still boxes everywhere. Our vacum is broken so I can't even clean that way. So in the total chaos I had a little breakdown, grabbed ds and took him upstairs and nursed him to sleep. Came downstairs eventually he made up with me. I told him that as inconvenient as it may be for him, I really need him to put my feelings first because I am on overload.

Today has been a lot better. THe only thing that really got to me was that
I got a messege from a friend back home and she was PISSED OFF that I left without saying goodbye (which I did, I just never drove the 45 minutes up to see her because ummm.... I was busy packing and getting ready to move.) NOt to mention I told her the date we were leaving. And she was all like "I can't believe you just left."
Anyway, that's me for now.

 

[*Amy*]

Sounds like a lot of the mamas are having a cruddy week.

Maybe it's because it's so damn hot. DH says I've been crankier than usual too.

Tonight I am really bothered by a friend of mine and it's getting to the point where I just don't know how to handle the situation any longer. The short version of the story is the she and her husband have been married for about 5 1/2 years, and in the year or so that we've known them, it has become obvious in numerous ways that he does not like or respect her - he treats her like absolute crap. She became pregnant "accidentally" last month (after having goaded him for the past 4 years to start a family, to which he replied that he never wanted to have kids) and I am TRYING to be supportive and happy for her, but every time we talk she gives me more evidence that her husband simply does not love or care about her. And she just lies there like a doormat and takes it!!!

For a long time I tried to point out that his treatment of her was completely uncalled for and that she deserved better, and she was even talking about divorce before she became pregnant. Now there is no way she's going to leave him, so I'm kind of in the position of not wanting to talk to her because *I* get so angry about the things he does, and then I can't help but feel like she's an idiot for staying in the situation (and for clarification, she makes good money on her own and has her entire family about 2.5 hours away). I don't know what to do anymore.

 

[Kavita]

Wow, that's a lot that everyone is going through right now!!

Amy, I don't have any brilliant advice, but I can emphathize, that's a difficult and unpleasant situation. Frankly, my reaction would be to not spend much time with this person and sort of cool off the friendship. All you can do is express your opinion and take a stand that you think your friend deserves to be treated well in a relationship, but obviously she's choosing to be in the situation she's in and you can't change that, but you don't need to be around it either.

Bex, Glad to see you here!!! Wondered where you'd gone off to!

In theory people who've had babies already feel movement earlier, but also in reality I've heard a lot of moms say that they notice less movement with the second or subsequent baby at some point. A lot of it is just because they are so busy chasing toddlers that they don't have time to sit and moon around and obsess over their bellies like we first timers! Just a thought. I hope you are able to get out and do something fun and cheer up!

Teresa, That's terrible about the squirrel! I'm upset just reading about it, I can't imagine how awful it must have been. I'm really sorry.

snugglebutter, glad that you have a midwife that you like!! Sounds like a lot of traipsing around to appointments in a short period of time!

Jellyfishy, sorry about your kitty and your dad and the pukey baby and everything else!! I'm with you in starting to worry a bunch about what I'm eating, and thinking I need to reform my ways! I'm trying to get more protein and vegetables and water, but it's not easy. Starting to take prenatal vitamins too after a hiatus, as I'm starting to worry about my iron status. Sigh.

Dreams in Digital, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!! Sorry that it sucked.

samsmamma, the AC being broken down sucks! I live in the desert, so I can relate to everyone experiencing excessive heat!!! I try to avoid being outside too much during the day. You can tell people who've been here a long time because when walking outside we sort of try to scurry along from one patch of shade to the next and stay out of the hot sun!

Here things are fine overall, but I'm feeling really tired. Since the house tile got finished, we are working hard to get things back in order. The washer and dryer and main bathroom toilet all got disconnected with the result of having a difficult time reconnecting them!! The dryer vent was all squashed so they cut it, but it's too short now so you can't move the dryer at all. The drain hose of our (ancient) washer is connected on the inside, so it disconnected itself and when I went to do a load of laundry on Sunday night the water leaked all over!! We cleaned it up and then last night while DH was at his night job I took it apart and reconnected it. DH can't find a replacement part for the toilet hookup that no longer fits, and so that's the next project. Tonight we're going to seal the grout, then we can start putting back the rest of the furniture when it's dry. One funny thing is that there is some residual dust around the floor from the grout, etc. So I've discovered that my dog is regularly jumping up on the kitchen counter, because he's leaving incriminating white paw prints up there! At least now I know that even if the counter LOOKS clean that it should probably be wiped before any food prep!

I found a Peg Perego "Aria" stroller at TJ Maxx, reduced by $80! I got it but am considering returning it, because I looked at some reviews and it got 3 of 5 stars and there were a number of complaints about it. I had some qualms about getting it, but figured it was better to get it and return it than to wait and have someone else buy it and decide I wanted it. Does anyone have one of these, and if so, do you like it or not?

I'm leaving work now and going home. DH got me "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" which I wanted to see just because it seemed stupid and funny. We watched "Kinsey" the other night. One of the fringe benefits of DH's second job at a video store, we get free movies, 3 at a time! I'm really catching up on all the movies I haven't seen in the last 5 years or so!!