# Dec07 thread for May04 Mamas -- just waiting for a new Ducette...



## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

the month in which we meet another May04 sibling from...

Ducette!!!

babywatch stalking to commence AFTER she finishes her school work!

why the heck am i up at 3am pacific time, you ask? talk to stefan. gas, or teeth, or sum-fin.







:

~claudia


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Yay...new month, new baby!!

Claudia--hope he settles down for ya!

I guess I shouldn't complain, HJ got adjusted yesterday and slept the best he has in a while (well, before the 4am partay) --so not bad for a 1mo!

Glad the weekend is here, but not glad that it means I get to catch up on all my cleaning!

Okay...it is the weekend and I just fed the boy and passed him off to DH so I'm headed back to bed! Yay!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Oh, I was so gonna start the new thread!

Alas. Beat to the punch by wakey mamas.

I finished putting curtain loops on a cool big red Indian tapestry that will adorn my dance studio! Yay! This weekend I have a workshop here in my home studio and it should be lots of fun. Lots of women coming!

TC, I hear ya on the OY thing. just want to commiserate. Social things are so annoying sometimes.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

HJ says word to the mmf!









Els---is this the first time for the home studio? and jealous! I wanna come over!

Claudia--more to sayoy when I have 2 hands free --totally get where you're coming from!

*waves* to our sweet lisa if she's at worky worky this weekend!


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

just subscribing...have a turkey in the oven and we're going to put up the tree today.

HJ is such a cutie, Heather!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Super cute shirt, Heather! Very very very cute.
It's not the first time--actually been using the home studio for a while now! Pics to follow.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Awww.. thanx for the love MMF's!







:

Whoever brought up the celery stalk for heather.... I will never look at the word "stalk" the same again.









Still having continuous contractions... but even if they aren't doing much in the way of progress- it's been a real bonding experience between baby and I. It's kind of a romantic thing. I've reached the month of my due date and when I'm having the contractions I pause to think about the beautiful symbiotic work the baby and I will be doing together. All of this is a part of it, and neither can happen without the other. Yes, I am a birth junkie and this is such a romantic notion to me.







:







With my anterior placenta I cannot however feel ANYTHING. I feel baby move and kick... but I can't tell what body parts are what and we have not been able to successfully get the heartbeat but twice with the fetoscope. So I allowed one vaginal exam last week at my 37 week checkup to determine whether baby was breech or not. (The heartbeat we obtained was nearly up in my ribcage.) Baby is not. Head down and hopefully stays that way. So there's some stalking details for you. Typing that made me think of Christmas stockings though... stalking/stocking...









Well... off to write a papers on the tropical rainforest, the nature of warfare in man, and childbirth.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I can't take credit for the cuteness of the shirt; twas a hand-me-down from one of our very own babystars...







:

Looooooooooooong day here and might not do the tree tomorrow as it's supposed to be butt-chapping cold + snow + ice. Maybe Wednesday instead. I think I'll try to get all the presents wrapped anyhow.

grunty babe is calling me....


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Crickety Crike. It's been crazy crazy busy around here, and I thought I'd missed a day, but sweet cracker sandwiches, I didn't realize so much could happen in three days! And a while new thread to boot.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DucetteMama21842* 
Whoever brought up the celery stalk for heather.... I will never look at the word "stalk" the same again.









: Guilty, but at least I'm not alone! Happy happy for 37+ (and yes, baby, please wait until your mama has a chance to sit down) and heading the right way (pun intended). Vegetables peering quietly around corners for you, now.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 
Also, dh found out some good news: state law here is that after 12 mos of self-employment, we have to be allowed to opt for the group plan, and they can't deny me coverage--major







(even though they can deny me in the interim).

KK, I'm so thinking of you. This is a carpy situation. And I'm so glad that they can't deny coverage... but... they CAN charge you an arm and a leg for it. I can share deets if you want... between DH's seizures and my pregnancy, family coverage would have been over 2K each month







:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elsanne* 
That said, I do think a woman sans children is somehow not fully realized as a woman.









that: and a little bit of a







: because I feel bad admitting that. Whatever.

OK, so what I came here to say was that I had a freakin' fabulous dream last night, that a friend and I went to visit TurboClaudia. TC, you were at the beach house, and coming back early in the evening but left your place open for my friend and me in the afternoon. We got in and made ourselves comfortable (we drank some of your wine, apparently







) and then you came home and apologized for not being there when we got there, and pulled some great snacks out of the fridge, and offered us wine or tea (??) and your family was really welcoming and your kids were just sweet as could be. I've lost some of the details in the past 14 hours, but we admired your garden and swam in your above-ground pool.

So, how much of that would be true? It's as much as I could remember.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

: I'm not pinklish anymore







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Aw, Juice, I'm so sorry you're not in the pink!

I feel bad saying that too (about a woman sans children) but I figure it's safe enough on mdc...I think it's a crappy thing, but true. And I have many friends without children! There really is a "mommy club" of sorts. You just can't look at life the same when someone else's life is in your hands.

Getting ready for the workshop today--fought off an illness yesterday (still today) and need to clean up--definitely a drawback to not having the workshop somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the girls keep pulling toys out into the space I am wanting to get clean...


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Have no fear, my Juicey dear. You shall regain your pink before too long!







: A little birdie told me so.

Els--illness--no! not allowed! Giggling at the idea of toys underfoot whilst you're dancing away.

Must say that chiropractic rocks my socks. HJ has slept awesome the past two nights. 4.5 and 3+ hour chunks last night! yippee skippee! Of course the boobs aren't too happy with that plan, but


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Ah, heather, thanks for thinking of me at work.

I am working today, but I was off yesterday enjoying time at the Maidu Interpretive Center in lovely Roseville, CA. Alison had a funeral to go to so my mom and I took the girls to check out the cool Native American center there. Eleanor came home from school singing "Ten Little Indians" last week so it seemed appropriate to show her some reality --- totally over her head, by the way. The highlight for her was the bear poop that they had on display and the lowlight was that she was not allowed to keep the rock she picked up on the trail because it is protected space. Not sure what I expected her to get out of it, but questions about animal poo was not it.









Things my kids are into -
Annabel:
-hugging dolls
-pushing her hippo toy around the room
-trying to walk
-biting when nursing
Eleanor:
-matchbox cars which she names after loved ones and acts out stories
-dolls, but especially doll accessories like strollers, carseats, highchairs, etc.
-singing (Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is in serious rotation).
-ROLEPLAYING endlessly. As in, "you be the daddy and I will be the baby and you come home from work" or "I am Mama and you are Ellie and this [stuffed sheep] is Annie." Cute, but she can sustain it for hours and therefore rarely spends awake time _as herself_.

About women sans children and quality of life differences pre/post baby: Y'know I still regularly struggle with being a mom. I dislike having people dependent on me (there, I said it). I am rebellious about it and I too romanticize the time of my life when I could up and leave on a plane to anywhere. I love my children more than I thought possible, but there is this part of me that is set up for a huge mid-life crisis.

Jac - hmmmm, turkey in the oven sounds so good.

Juice - When is school done? I am already feeling stalky but I am hoping that you get some rest after school _before_ the babe arrives.

Els - Oh, your tapestry has inspired me. I have a sadza batik print that I bought in Zimbabwe and I have never known what to do with it. Now I am thinking hem the edge and sew curtain hooks on it and voila!

Mwah to the may mamas








I am going to see if I can get all my work done and leave early to go to the Stanford Women's Basketball game, _by myself_.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Miss Juice* 
KK, I'm so thinking of you. This is a carpy situation. And I'm so glad that they can't deny coverage... but... they CAN charge you an arm and a leg for it. I can share deets if you want... between DH's seizures and my pregnancy, family coverage would have been over 2K each month







:


Yeah, I realize that they will probably want to charge, charge, charge for it. There are a few other possibilities... there's some kind of ins. program in the state for "hard to insure" people (still can't believe I fall into that category







). Not sure of the coverage or cost, but I'll look into it. Another possibility is pursing more PT community college teaching (ie, teaching more than just my favorite class so I could teach more regularly) and buying into group coverage that way. And finally, of course, is one of us getting a non-self-employed-type job. I wouldn't mind hearing more, Juice. I feel like I have this period of COBRA to to try to alternatively heal my ovary, resolve whether or not to have another kid, resolve whether or not I'm willing to lose an ovary, and/or resolve whether or not I'm willing to forego coverage on the ovary.







: Watched Sicko. I'm pretty pissed about the politics re universal coverage in this country. IMO, insurance companies are just there to suck money off the system... they do *absolutely* NOTHING to further health care... they're just a drain on the system.

Goodness.... tomorrow is sock day! I need to get my butt out and acquire socks.







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

OH, jeezus, the sock thing. Sock recipient: yours will be late-ish. Not terribly, but I have to send it from down under. So, if you don't get your socks next week, you'll know, I'm your man. Or woman.

Lisa: *phew* at hearing someone else say "I don't love having people dependent on me". I'm down with that. Even just saying it releases a lot of the yucky part of it.

Class today was AWESOME! 12 people came, yay me. I got invited to give a seminar in Puerto Vallarta, ooooh yeeeeah, in March. Loving that.
The Indian curtain thing looks beautiful, Lisa, and I feel like one needs to be burning incense constantly when one is in it's presence. I am psyched to have inspired you to enjoy your textile to a fuller degree.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Ah! And under "what kids are doing/what they like", Lisa, Sol role plays allll the live-long day, exactly the same: I'm a duck, mama, and you are the little duck, and amara's the baby duck...I'm the mama, and you're the nina, etc...

Sol's latest/greatest is "Por que, mama? Porque Why?" Just like that. And it's cute...in spanish, Why/Because is Por que/Porque (very similar if not identical words), so when we speak in English and I ask her why, she repeats: Why? Why .... Using the second "why" as because. On the other hand, the why thing has started, and it's not my favorite. I respond to some and others I don't, as I see appropriate. I don't want to answer Why to the Nth degree.

Today she told me that my tetas are "cute", coming out of the shower.









She will occasionally throw her arms around me and exclaim, "I love you too mucho, mommy!"










I can't believe Annabel is already trying to walk. Where DOES the time go?!?
Wasn't she just born? What ever happened with you and second mama nursing? I suppose the need for that degree of pacifying is long gone.

Amara loves to, well, be with me. It has firmly convinced me that I might not survive another child, for myriad reasons, but especially for the 1.5 y.o. stage. She is picking up language faster than Sol did at her age, I think, or I'm better at hearing her words--she's so stinkin' cute. Very, very happy and cute.


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

"butt-chapping cold." Snork!









"sweet cracker sandwhiches"









Oh, you mamas crack me up.

I got my socks yesterday







Can't wait to reveal from WHOM I got them. Message to my sock-mama recipient:
a. I'm mailing them tomorrow
b. I'm sorry they're sorta practical/boring. That's just the mode I'm in. I threw in something to sweeten the deal.







For a dear friend's wedding today, I got cloth napkins. I'm just really into gifts that are fair trade and useful right now.

Well, I've had a itsy bitsy life crisis. Last night I threw common sense to the wind and went out after the kiddos were in bed to help a friend move in to her new place. I hung out with the two wonderful women who helped me birth Will. Well, I got there at 8:30 and left at 9:45, and both their kiddos (aged 1 and 2.5) were awake and having a grand old time. And I realized: I am boring. I am very, very boring right now. And rigid. I work, I come home, I clean, I put my kids to bed on.time.every.night.no.matter.what. If Will does not nap when he supposed to, I CAN.NOT.COPE. I am leaving no room in my life whatsoever for the spontaneous or the fun.

So...today was the wedding of a very close friend from college. Back then, I did lots of spontaneous, crazy, fun things, like climb trees and wade in fountains in the middle of the night, and hang upside down from railings singing in 3-part harmony, etc. DH and I were planning on going to the wedding, but leaving early to put the kids to bed. Well, I decided, gosh darn it, that the kids could stay up late for once. And you know what? We had a good time. W gazed lovingly into the faces of many mamas as he was passed around, and L ran around the dance floor with the other kiddos and laughed his head off. Dh and I danced. Ask me tomorrow and the next day if the crazy sleep schedules that follow will be worth it. I am thinking yes.

Now, however, I am tired and it is late, so I think I will go to bed. Until 1 am. And 2 am. And 3 am. and.....


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Ferny, yay for some spontaneousness. I think overall the routines are totally the way to go, but once in a while it's great to depart. And so glad you had fun.

Socks! Like the organized and efficient person I am (ha!) I purchased my socks literally weeks ago. And like the procrastinator I am, I haven't mailed them yet (I also like to pet them when I walk by) and unfortunately now my morning is all blocked up and I can't send them until tomorrow. But I *WILL* send them tomorrow.

I love Sol's emerging bilingual skills! The super-cuteness! Allison's current language thing is that anything in the past must end with "-ed" so something might have dieded, or got fixeded, or been putted away.

I know I had more to say, but it has left me, and I am smelling a diaper that really needs to be changed. Blech.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

juice i think you dreamt of claudia's beach house because there is a crazy 2-day storm going on and the beach here has seen CRAZY high winds. like up to 100 mph. so i hope the beach house is a-ok and judging by the tea-worthiness of your dream...it must be









ebin has discovered that rolling is actually a method of transportation. watch out christmas tree and basement stairs. i think he'll crawl before isaac did.

i get wistfull about my 'days of freedom' sometimes. i totally agree with the sentiments expressed above. pre-baby life was SO DIFFERENT (fun! easy!). but i so wanted to be a mother someday. and i mean the love and cuteness *are* amazing. but the responsibility can feel suffocating sometimes. i am the responsible party-always. doug is a helper of sorts but since i dragged him into this whole thing reluctantly when it gets hard i can tell he's got that 'and why did we do this?' thought going on. but then sometimes he surprises me

i feel like i can look forward to motherhood getting easier from the squashing responsibility aspect at least when ebin turns 2ish. babies are just downright needy and it feels like a marathon sometimes







: especially the sleep thing. and worrying about feeding him and/or my boobs exploding if i go somewhere.

we had a lovely dinner out on saturday though for MIL's 60th bday. i enjoy every minute of being not responsible when i get the chance







other mamas in the ebin (june) baby group were talking about how they haven't left their baby yet and while i can sort of get that.....i really can't!!







but i know people are all different kwim?

beth - that's awesome that you cut loose and the whole family had fun!

we slept in until a glorious 9am this morning and i'm sitting in the glow of the christmas lights and drinking some mostly decaf coffee







i looooooove having a tree.

i got some christmas money from MIL and made a beeline to the shoe store to get these adorable shoes that i saw when i went to purchase socks. yay! i can't wait to wear them today.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Hello wonderful mamas-

Reading and thinking of you all...can't believe it's December...sounds like life is busy for all around this time.

I'm writing my LAST PAPER as we speak. It has really been a doozy of a quarter this go 'round. Way too many assignments. I feel like I've been writing papers for the last 3 weeks. But I will be done on Wednesday (except for call - two more days of that) and am so happy it's almost over! So much holiday stuff to do this weekend and next week before we take off for Florida.

Lots to respond to - I will - on Thursday!









S.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

jstar--you have just inspired an urgent telephone call to Viet to get us our tree right now, this very day. I want another one of the ones we had last year, the flower of the maguey.

The maguey plant is the huge cactus ouchy thing that produces tequila, among many other things, and right before it dies (its life cycle is x# of years) it shoots up this huge, beautiful flower that is much like a tree, they stand about 2-3 adult height, and make for lovely trees here in the desert.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Yes, I love my socks!
The sender is the sweetest
I can't wait to wear.

Yippee!







I got my sox today! Thank you, you know who you are mama. I feel my sox for my recipient are inadequate compared to what I received today.Lovely sox packaged ever so loverly! THANK YOU!







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Must. Get. Socks. In. Mail. Today!


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elsanne* 
I can't believe Annabel is already trying to walk. Where DOES the time go?!?
Wasn't she just born? What ever happened with you and second mama nursing?

Annie's birthday is Feb.1, believe it or not! She really really wants to walk. She also talks. She says Mama and Cat mostly.

We never ended up both nursing her. Alison really wanted to be the solo-nurser and while I struggled to keep her pacified (she never took an actual pacifier) we managed. Now she doesn't need that as much. Alison has had a sucky deal with nursing however. Annabel just chews her up and last night she tearfully said to me, "I don't remember what it feels like to nurse without pain." it is really sad. She met with a lactation consultant but the only advice she got was to wait it out. It has been months of pain at this point.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fiddlefern* 
I am leaving no room in my life whatsoever for the spontaneous or the fun.

I too live by schedule. It is stressful to be spontaneous. Good for you for doing it anyway!!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mcsarahb* 
I'm writing my LAST PAPER as we speak. It has really been a doozy of a quarter this go 'round. Way too many assignments. I feel like I've been writing papers for the last 3 weeks. But I will be done on Wednesday (except for call - two more days of that) and am so happy it's almost over!

I am glad it is almost over for you too! Florida should be a LOT of fun.

Off to send my socks...







:


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

I sent off my socks today. It may be a few days, they have to travel a ways, not south-of-the-border-ways, but pretty far, nonetheless.







(did I just drop a hint?


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sarah'sMama* 
I sent off my socks today. It may be a few days, they have to travel a ways, not south-of-the-border-ways, but pretty far, nonetheless.







(did I just drop a hint?






























Not really, since about half of us live on the West Coast.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

You called my bluff


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *A&L+1* 
We never ended up both nursing her. Alison really wanted to be the solo-nurser and while I struggled to keep her pacified (she never took an actual pacifier) we managed. Now she doesn't need that as much. Alison has had a sucky deal with nursing however. Annabel just chews her up and last night she tearfully said to me, "I don't remember what it feels like to nurse without pain." it is really sad. She met with a lactation consultant but the only advice she got was to wait it out. It has been months of pain at this point.

I go through rounds of this with L. (*Still*. Don't tell Alison.) And yeah, *months* of it. I feel for her. We're going through another round right now (And don't tell Alison that I'm dealing with this with a 19 month old...). It did get better for a while, then worse, then better. I think teeth really have a lot to do with it here. All I can suggest is plenty of Lansinoh, careful positioning (around the cracks/bites), and *you* helping as much (at night) as you can. Sometimes, just having dh deal with L for the night or most of the night would give a chewed up nipple enough of a break to finally start healing a bit.







:














:







:







: on nipple chewers.

Okay, I really should be working on my MG homework. (I can't believe we have homework.)


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

What a day! Phew! And now some seriously crazy wind out there---yikes!

jstar--here's a buck for ya!







Yes, I'm punny on very little sleep.

Totally slacking on personals except to say Sarah....almost there chickie!! Yay!


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

It is very reassuring for me to hear that others also are into having schedules. It makes me feel like maybe I'm not impossibly inflexible. Sigh. I'm just having a dark night of the soul. I actually said out loud to dh tonight that if I could go back and not have kids, I would. I haven't ever felt that way before, but tonight, I was feeling it. I want my freedom back. Which is silly because before I had kids (and 3 years of therapy) I was an impossibly driven workaholic who seldom took the time to have fun, but the point is, I COULD have. If I had wanted too. I used to work really hard and then travel a bunch and have extended vacations where I lazed about.

I basically sulked and grumped all the way home from picking dh up at work. The post office wouldn't let me mail my socks even though I got there a minute before 5, and then L fell asleep in the car with dh while I ran in to UPS, (I knew this would mean a late night- L still isn't asleep) and this spurred my comment about not wanting kids. When I got home dh told me if I was so unhappy and so desperate to have alone time, I should just leave and have some. As I was heading out the door he said, "we'll put the kids to bed when you come back." So of course I couldn't really go, because it was almost W's bedtime. I hung up my coat and started the dishes. Blech.

I could be out now, of course, but W is asleep and L is in with dh, and I'm getting my alone time while also whining to all of you.









So that's my all-about-me post.

Off to read the YG, then go to bed early. I think part of my low state is sleep deprivation.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Oh Fiddlefern- it's sounds like an exasperating day. *Hugs*

Some days are high... some days are low- I just try to ride them like a wave.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Ack, Ferny! Sorry last night didn't work out for alone time. I soooo crave it and have already left HJ w/ DH for an hour and a half while I ran to Walmart of all places to finish up some Christmas and other shopping by myself. With each kid, I've felt progressively more of a need to have that time to myself where I don't have to be needed. I so miss the long three hour walks in the city I used to take before kids (and DH!) I think it is a process to meld the old and new realities into something that fits.

Just catching up on emails and blogs and enjoying the new laptop + wireless and trying not to get sun butter on the keyboard as I eat my breakfast.







: The boy slept much better last night and I feel a zillion times better and more awake this morning.

Our day is pretty open and C doesn't have pt and music therapy until late afternoon so we might do a quick library trip at some point or just stay home in or jammies or something in between.....

Renae----get back here. I'm tired of missing my morning goddess!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Agreed about missing the morning goddess.

Agreed about 3-hr walks.

Agreed about Alone Time. Required for good Mental Hygiene! It is SO HARD to get with small chillern.

Fern, sounds like you need a good 3-hr or so break, all alone, in your house. That's what I love--if not in my house, well, out n about is not bad either. I am so sorry it's hard right now. And that crap about not letting you mail your socks at 4.59 pm sucks!!!
ThistooshallpassThistooshallpassThistooshallpass.

I often wonder how this children thing would be with a different partner, especially my ex, with whom I never fought. Ever, not even breaking up. I'm sure it would have pushed our limits but I wonder how we'd do. Silly mind ramblings because it makes no difference, reality is other. Viet is amazing in his own ways. Lately we have really been trying hard and we're on a good roll--since September with no major upheavals. The effort I put into it is physical, because for him to be happy, he just needs a little lovin'. So, sometimes although I'm way not into it, I make the effort to be so, and he makes the efforts I want (giving me alone time with the kids, cooking, helping clean up, running errands).

I'm just rambling here. blahblahblah...

Sol said the other day, "Daddy, Tu es loco. Tu tambien, mommy!" Very cute. (daddy, you're crazy. You too, mommy!)

Love hearing her language grow.

The rooster at our house (the one that's left) has now started randomly attacking. This is bad. Their aggression started when we brought home hens, we ate one of them, and it's escalated ever since. This morning they got out of their pen and were walking around the yard so I went to lure him back into it with goodies and he attacked my legs from behind! One time last week he also attacked Amara, who had the good sense to curl over into a ball instead of getting her eyes pecked out. I lost it and kicked him repeatedly. This is very dangerous and I'm ready to eat him.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Just want to reply quickly (I'm ducking out on the bkfst serving duties...














...

I feel kind of weird to say that I have very rarely had the going back and not having kids thought. But it's not because I'm some maternal wonder... I think it's because motherhood has allowed me to relax and change in ways I should have done anyway.







: (It's been hard, but I'll be the first to admit that my "with kids" phase has been a lot happier than my "without kids" phase). I assume that anyone who has their doubts is most definitely not a bad person, just a person who had a more interesting pre-kids life than I did.







: again

Ferny, routine is a big thing here. I'd say "routine" rather than "schedule", but yeah, I like to keep things fairly regular.

I echo what HF said about the need for alone time increasing with each kid. (Perhaps a reason to forego #4? I'd never spend any time with the family... ha ha ha... not really.)

I've never wondered about how things would be different with my college boyfriend. We never fought either, Els, and I think all in all, it would have been disastrous. Not fighting does not always equal harmony, y'know? I think I squabble with dh because there's actually something there to squabble about.

Els, tu *es* loco. Definitely eat the rooster. Soon.

Today is a new day. I'm going to have a better 'tude.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

missing morning goddess, too.

thought of something while reading kk's post about els' post about the no-fighting ex: i have a book by john gottman, psychologist and researcher at UW in Seattle, who has a "love lab" (an apartment with one way glass and microphones where they can observe people interacting with one another). his particular interest is relationships and why some last and others don't. after 30 years of research, he has concluded that the couples that stay together are the ones who fight the best. by best, i mean most respectfully, most constructively, most effectively. book is more of self help book and very interesting: The Seven Principles to Making Marriage Work.

need breakfast.... and maybe







...

bill is going to sacramento for two nights starting late tonight, so i have kid duty for 48 hours straight.







: i will definitely need some alone time after that. and mucho chocolate and starbucks.

~c


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 
Els, tu *es* loco. Definitely eat the rooster. Soon.

Laughing and spitting my morning coffee over here!







Especially funny coming from a vegetarian.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 







:














:







:







: on nipple chewers.

This is how I feel about it too. It sucks. Or bites. Or, well, you obviously get the idea. I really feel for her because her relationship with nursing has been so emotional. A lot of it stems from the birth - that her body failed her and is continuing to do so by not nursing "right". Annabel was sick with a series of colds over the last month and not sleeping well, so that added to the stress. She is doing better now, but like you said, it seems to come and go and that is frustrating.

Fern - Yeah, we might be a bit alike. My routines and schedules are controlling in a proportionate response to how controlled I feel by family life, kids, dirty dishes, and all that _adult responsibility_. It is work to follow the schedule but it gives me a little moment at the end of the day when everything is done. It helps me to feel like I might get a break even if I rarely do and it is certainly an expression of my anal, workaholic, over-invested-in-things-being-a-certain-way self. I have a plan to go to the movies with a friend soon and just having the idea out there has helped ease the pressure.







s

We put up Christmas lights last night and Eleanor is so excited. Any idea how we are supposed to have a tree with a pre-walker in the house??? When Eleanor was little we got a small table tree, but I want a big one this year. Any ideas?

Love, Hugs and Peace,

L


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

just do the tree, lisa. stefan's interest in our big tree (we got it the day after thanksgiving in a break from tradition because of our before christmas departure for hawaii so we can enjoy it as much as possible) greatly lessened a day or two after we got it. now he goes over to it occasionally, but i can swoop in and divert his attention to something else relatively easily.

~c


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *A&L+1* 
This is how I feel about it too. It sucks. Or bites. Or, well, you obviously get the idea. I really feel for her because her relationship with nursing has been so emotional. A lot of it stems from the birth - that her body failed her and is continuing to do so by not nursing "right". Annabel was sick with a series of colds over the last month and not sleeping well, so that added to the stress. She is doing better now, but like you said, it seems to come and go and that is frustrating.

I can relate to this, and it's one of the reasons I have been soooo grateful for easy nursing. Both of my babe births ended in c/s and I have been on an emotional roller coaster about them (differently for each, but both difficult in their own ways) and if I had had nursing troubles on top of crappy births, I would have gone over the edge. Like, completely. Big hugs to A.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *A&L+1* 
Fern - Yeah, we might be a bit alike. My routines and schedules are controlling in a proportionate response to how controlled I feel by family life, kids, dirty dishes, and all that _adult responsibility_.

You can count me in this club, too. I don't have a super strict sched, but I am a bit of a slave to the sched I do have. Spontaneity feels good and I need to engage in that a bit more.

Speaking of spontaneity, I am off to go shopping for clothes with my mom for the second day in a row. Whoopty-do!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

lisa---do the tree; you'll figure out tree catastrophe prevention when the need arises. E was about the same age last Christmas and didn't even really bother with it at all, but it was also at one end of the house so easier to know when she was near it.

juice!! my little birdie says you can pinkify yourself if you go to your user cp/subs area or something like that.







:

Finally got the little dude down for a nap in the fleece pouch and ever so gently got him out of it, swaddled and down for a nap on the reflux pillow so I could pump (you think I'd be sick of it, but I'm paranoid about not having a freezer stash so once a day a few ounces eases my neurotic worry for a little while.







)

off to see what megster wrote as we're x-posting


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Go Claudia!

Checking in from the vortex of vomit my home has become (sorry, graphic)! Last night Ethan was acting completely normal, playing on the floor, then came over, gave me a toy, and puked all over my lap. ALL over. Complained about it a little and went back to playing. I was hoping at was a one-shot deal... we went to bed early-ish (9:15) and were greeted at the top of the stairs by a tearful Caitlyn and an overpowering stench. She'd puked all over herself, her bed, and her sister's bed. It took forever to clean up, and we had to change Allison's bed too (she slept through the whole thing, then woke up this morning complaining that these were not her sheets) and by the time we got to bed, Ethan was at it again. He was up every 30-45 minutes all night long and I feel like death this morning. Caitlyn seems fine and is eating more than she did all weekend, but Ethan is still complaining (though hasn't puked in almost two hours, so we're either due or he's getting better).

And wwaaaaaahhh my sister, who I haven't seen in months and who is 8 months pregnant, is coming for an overnight visit this afternoon! Welcome to our home, don't mind the stench and I hope you brought your own towel







:







:

/wah


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Crossposted, but Heather your little birdie is super-sweet and has brought a ray of sunshine to my otherwise dreary day!! Thank you







: I think sometimes it takes a couple of days to get pinked up - I'll check it out if need be!


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

so, simultaneously, on two of the portland threads, two different people have asked what mmf means. do i tell? do i keep it a secret?


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

tell them technically yours should say jmf! but we mmf! wouldn't let you go!







:


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

that's funny tc - i recently made a sale on the tp and the mama i sold to asked me what it meant. first time anyone has asked.









fwiw, i told her.







did i break the rules? am i ousted?


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heatherfeather* 
tell them technically yours should say jmf! but we mmf! wouldn't let you go!







:










Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamameg* 
that's funny tc - i recently made a sale on the tp and the mama i sold to asked me what it meant. first time anyone has asked.









fwiw, i told her.







did i break the rules? am i ousted?



















no rules broken







, just the first time i've been asked, too, aside from when danile asked when she first joined us.

i'll just tell them you are all my one true loves.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i'd tell









juice - that is the *worst*! isaac has only ever had one night of the all-night triple sheets and jammie change pukies and i am still scarred from it. dealing with more than one kiddo with that gets you a BIG badge

i miss my social life. the freedom to have a social life (going out at night, book signings, last minute dinners, movies, all that fun kind of stuff). i would say i miss travelling but we didn't even get to travel that much before. although now it seems highly impossible. i priced beaver creek where my friends are going skiing and....yeah. we are not in the family of four skis in beaver creek category this year. (this kind of ties back to that rich friends thing)

and although i am pretty terrible at having a regular schedule i do see the benefits and make an effort at routine for isaac and ebin. i'm also seeing my work-a-holic-ness right now. i am ending up working (and having more STRESS) than i had envisioned but it is really an all-or-nothing thing to keep clients happy. as in i am making myself available by phone 5 days a week even though i am only trying to 'work' on 3 days.

i also have to make a big decision right now about a project which would hit august 2008. it would be a huge time-suck and i would have to find 5-days a week care for both kids for ~14 weeks (or realistically maybe even longer). but it would be beaucoup bucks. doug wants me to do it. i really wish it were hitting in may 09 so ebin would turn 2 and i could start him at y's choice. the timing is not perfect. BUT seeing my (new) company name in lights in the EIS for one of the biggest freeway projects in oregon would be good for my long-term welfare and the welfare of the fam too

isaac was never a biter of my nipples. he preferred other children's limbs







but i dread ebin getting his two front teeth because you never know what this kiddo will be like. poor alison (and you too kk!)


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

socks sent.









(and some bonus socks for a very special mama...







: )

~c


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

would any mmf like a free subscription to martha stewart living? i think i'm renewing mine and i can give one.

i can also give 2 free subscriptions to parents magazine right now. that one is so cheap i can't not renew it ($12) and i like some of their 'what is appropriate for what age' articles. but yeah







: so mainstream i'm embarrassed to ask you guys.







:


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jstar* 
would any mmf like a free subscription to martha stewart living? i think i'm renewing mine and i can give one.

We would! Actually, Alison would love it!


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

We've been outed to the PDX community!







Say it loud, say it proud, mama, the may mamas rule!!









Juice, hope you are all on the mend over in c-town. Sux0rs about the timing with your sister's visit. I'm not kidding when I say I live in fear of vomit.














:

Heather, I'm so enjoying reading your blog. I love your posts, and visit it a few times a day, because sometimes you treat me with multiple posts in a day.









I'm very interested in the discussion going on here. I can relate alot to what is being said. I really really need alone time. And when I say alone, I mean without dh or anyone. I was never much of a loner before, but the last few years really have me valuing my alone time. I have also been having a lot of self doubt about my value as a mother/leader to my girls. I feel I should be doing so much more with them. I'm trying to go with the flow more and follow what they want to do with me rather than the opposite. Part of it is taht I'm just not good at playing with them. I know that may sound weird, but I have a hard time sitting down playing make believe games with them sometimes and I feel bad about that. But back on topic a little more, I do miss the freedom of my before kids life. Going shopping was so much easier and faster. But the minute I start reminiscing about the good ol' days, somebody makes me laugh or does something sweet and I feel bad. I think for me, I've idealized alot of my pre-kid days, they weren't as good as I think they were. Does that make sense? Ok, long day, and I think that I'm rambling wayyy yto much and not making any sense.







:


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Oh, and just wishing TC an easy-breezy solo time.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

OKAY. Last class tomorrow, easy peasy paper presentation, fun no-stress suturing workshop, and that's it. Yay! So I can catch up with you all...

Thinking of Ducette and being 9 months preggo. Wishing you a wonderful last few days/weeks and a beautiful birth!

Lily is into: Art. Drawing, painting, stamping, cutting out and gluing. Playing vet or doctor, or any imaginary play. Loves talking about and imaginative play about "scary things" like zombies and ghosts and monsters. Dinosaurs - books, toys, etc. She is interested in reading and writing; wants us to write words describing her pictures and is starting to sound out short words. Can write most letters and will label her own pictures if you spell the words for her. We have one of her signs in our window, barely readable by anybody but us, that says, "NO MONSTERS."








Also is always "doing acrobatics" (her words) and wants us to sit while she climbs all over us and flops around.

I get a lot of away-from-Lily time. It is 1. fascinating (gyn clinic, some classes, parts of call), 2. boring (some classes), or 3. stressful (call), or some combination of those, and does not fulfill my need for "me" time. I do still crave FUN me time and occasionally will grab an hour or two from a day when the nanny is here and I'm supposed to be doing homework to go to Goodwill or whatever. But that's relatively rare, and I am looking forward to returning to my other, longer-term hobbies that I can't focus on during school. Usually my idea of a good time is taking Lily with me to do errands or we go to OMSI/the zoo/etc. together, because I feel like I don't see her enough. DH and I are looking forward to doing more things alone together, like dates, etc. but I feel like what's hindering us is me being in school more than having Lily. I think once I am done with school and start working we will have both more money and more time with which to enjoy ourselves.

Sherri, I too find it hard to get into imaginative play with kids. Sometimes I can do it for a short while, but I quickly tire of it. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I often tell Lily that I am enjoying myself doing something that's interesting to me (cooking, reading, whatever) and that she can join in, but that I'd rather not: pretend to be a monster, be a trampoline, read her books out loud, etc. It's a balance - sometimes I do feel like I need to be more engaged with her. But she gets an awful lot of focused, one-on-one stuff from the nanny all day and often in the evenings she *wants* to play by herself. I also think it's different for me since I am away from her so much.

I can't believe I'm done for the quarter. I keep feeling like there's something more I have to do...

Thinking of all of you and looking forward to my sock mail! w00t!

S.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *A&L+1* 
We would! Actually, Alison would love it!

gotcha









i am actually pretty terrible at sitting down and playing and it is something i am working on. my mom is SO good at engaging isaac like that so i have been watching her. she doesn't play imaginary games with him but finds an activity that is up both their alleys and gives him the undivided attention he needs. one thing is playing matching games with the thomas cards. i did that with him yesterday. it is so easy for me to *always* be doing something else (cooking, dishes, responding to ebin, uh....dinking on the computer). i have to make sure i focus on him because the baby demands focus (and gets it) whereas isaac will demand it by starting to act out. and i am trying to heed those signs. sometimes i think i'm a terrible mom







:

we watched rudolf tonight. i love deer (including reindeer!). it was stinkin cute. i am into seeing all these classic christmas shows that i haven't watched in years (if ever). i haven't actually seen that rudolf one before (large chunks of an overseas childhood resulted in american cultural gaps)







it made me think of little HJ in his buck shirt







i loooved that one


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

L's up and crying and has been on and off for an hour, so this'll be quick.

Am appreciating the discussion. Immediately after posting last night I wanted to delete, as I felt like such a whiner. I mean, I have this awesome dh, i'm not doing it all on my own, but sometimes, man, I just want my freedom. And then the kids are sweet and I appreciate them so much.

ok, crying kiddo gotta go.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

four o'clock party
rocking wakey babe. again.
will miss this one day


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

i hate the person who invented business trips.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TurboClaudia* 
i hate the person who invented business trips.









Everything OK? I'm worried.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

From the time of your post, I'm guessing you had the joy of a very early morning wake up?? Any playdates, coffee shop trips or the like planned? *hugs*


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Being the stalker I am, I searched your posts, TC, and saw you had a horrible time getting the bambinos to sleep. Sweet dreams, I hope you are all tucked away for a sleeping in kind of day now.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

TC, I so hear you on hating being alone with the two. Last night Viet wanted to go out with his friend, and so I did the eve shift alone, and it wasn't lovely. Getting them both to bed is a circus.

Duce, you need to check in daily now, otherwise I'm going to think you're in labor.

SARAH! yippin' yee has about being just about done with school! I am psyched for you! What you are doing is extraordinary--how much longer do you have?

I have a hard time staying present during play, because of the myriad householder tasks to be done. I like Sarah's matter-of-fact way of explaining this to Lil. Also, Sarah, cannot believe your daughter knows her letters. Holy alphabetronics, man.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fiddlefern* 
Am appreciating the discussion. Immediately after posting last night I wanted to delete, as I felt like such a whiner. I mean, I have this awesome dh, i'm not doing it all on my own, but sometimes, man, I just want my freedom. And then the kids are sweet and I appreciate them so much.

Dude, you're so not a whiner. We all have different challenges with our kid(s), we all have different talents and resources. (Btw, I've been meaning to tell you that you're not a whiner about the HfH thing, either. It's totally legit to have a reaction of, "Y'know, I wouldn't mind some of that help, too" which is where I think you were coming from. The other day, someone from the "caring committee" at our church, which admittedly does a pretty crappy job of helping our minister with pastoral care but which is trying to improve, asked me if I could help another member whom I don't know *at all* with emergency childcare.... I felt bad saying it, but I just said no... I just don't have the energy right now to try to watch a stranger's toddlers.... I also sort of kind of let it be known that I could use some pastoral care myself, but I probably should have said it more directly). Hmm... just hijacked that thought.







:

And I for one really appreciate any conversation where mamas will say that they don't enjoy their little darlins 100% of the time, that they're not perfect mothers (or vegan nuns), etc. There's so much self-criticism in this job, and our society has incredibly bizarre and unrealistic expectations of mothers (moreso than fathers).

UG on putting kids to bed solo. I can do it when it's the once every so often daddy's night out, and generally, I just read to them all in our bed, we all fall asleep, and dh has to carry them to the correct beds when he comes home. Several nights in a row I don't do well.







: Mama needs her sleep.

I was wondering when MCSB was gonna be done, too. Is it one more semester?









Jess, how long can you defer the big decision? Or can you say yes and modify it/postpone it? What does Doug think? (I think you should go for it...)

I dreamt last night that dh was hiding chocolate crayons from me (in the fridge) and that he had secretly eaten all of them except for the tips.







:







I've been teasing him about it this morning.

Okay, off to story time at the library. Sunny today, possibility of snow Thurs.-Sun...







:


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

alphabatronics









ugh. i am really torn (read: sleepless) over this decision. i probably need to respond in a few days or so. and i wont' be able to change my mind. doug wants me to do it. i'm scared. i talked to M (former boss) about it yesterday. she said she wants absolutely nothing to do with it so i would have to contract directly with them. i'd probably have 2 people at my disposal to work on it (i haven't talked to them about it). but contracting would be a BIG pita. i'd contract with a big engineering firm who has contracted with the state. so verrry nitpicky. i also don't have access to an editor anymore so i'd have to contract with someone for that. all in all the contracting is scaring me away! but it really would be good for my rep. M said she would do senior review at least. oy vey. i'm less confident about it today. plus the kid's care. and i started looking at offices to rent. i found a tiny one for $245/mo but i don't have the resources to go get it right now. and that is the cheapest i've seen (most are 300-500 sometimes just for a cube-space). i need somewhere with a door to take the kids when i need to.

so that was the long way of saying i am undecided







the project manager said 'pretty please' and i do like him though. i think i should do it too because it is a limited duration thing. just several months of insanity and then it would be over. except it never works like that. there are months and cycles of comments and revisions

claudia - i hope you're hangin in there better this morning!

ok. must get going. we are on a really *late* wakeup schedule around here with all the nightwakings.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

sherri: yes, it was just difficult getting the littles BACK to sleep after they awoke in the middle of the night. usually bill and i divide and conquer, because marek hates stefan's screaming and starts whining and crying himself, and stefan, well, he's a screamer. but no bill, so after changing marek's diaper and clothes (the diaper wasn't even that wet, he must have scratched his parts and misaligned his unit and peed down his leg instead) and double checking his sheets (not wet...??? how did that happen?) and nursing stefan and then changing his dipe (ended up being poopy... again, how did that happen? he never poops during the night.) i put them both in the car at 230am and drove for about 20 minutes on foggy roads. i can't take my usual darkened, no street light roads right now because a local creek flooded and the water is high in assorted places out here in farm country, so i had to drive a little longer than usual. then i pull back into the garage and stefan wakes up, which wakes up marek, so i bring marek in, hoping that he will be groggy enough to just go back to sleep, but no, he's whiny, and stefan is still screamy, so 20 minutes later, i put them back in the car AGAIN and we go for a LOOOOOOOOOng drive and i can feel my eyelids starting to close each time we leave a streetlit section but i push on because i know they are not asleep. stefan falls asleep, but marek is still awake as i pull into the garage, i leave stefan in the car and bring marek in and lay down with him and try not to fall asleep because i will have to bring stefan in shortly so he doesn't freeze and so i can hear him when he wakes up. finally, marek falls asleep, i bring stefan in, i am not tired, i write my post(s???), lay down in bed and play sudoku on my cell phone (my make-me-tired ritual) and fall asleep until 640, when stefan decides it's time to get up.







:

hopefully, he will have a marathon nap today again like he usually does. of course, now that i've said that, he may not.

thank god stefan hasn't discovered the power button on my computer yet, as marek had already decided it was a fun thing to press at that age.

today is a starbucks day.

~claudia


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

oh claudia. i do the driving in the car a lot, but never in the middle of the night.























mmmmmmm.... starbucks gingerbread latte.









jstar, tough decision. hope you come to a conclusion you feel good about.

i STRUGGLE with the depth and breadth of mama responsibility. suffocating is an understatement. i know it plays a role in my depressive state. it's not just postpartum hormones. the increased responsibilities contribute, as well.

john and i were just talking about this last night. i am currently in the midst of Project Megan. i am revamping my wardrobe (trying to break out of my jeans & t shirts mommy uniform) and trying to pick up some sort of hobby for myself. having an infant is something i surrender my whole self to, and as good as i feel about that in terms of what i am offering my children, it is stifling and very difficult for me mentally. and it's the #1 reason i know i am done having babies. i just can't do it again. i LOVE babies, but they drown me. jett is 19 mo and i am breaking out of infant care mode. it feels good, but is also kind of scary. i still feel nervous about going and talking with people socially (about things other than kids).

on that note, i am getting a bit of a break tonight. we are going to the city for john's company christmas party. it's at a swanky upscale nightclub and we have a hotel room booked. my mom is staying with the kids. we even have a fab place picked out for breakfast. totally looking forward to it, despite my fears that no one will want to talk to me about my boring life.









oh, these days mia is into..... eating.







constantly. and drawing, cutting, gluing, pouring, phonics, writing letters, etc.

oh man, it's after 10. i hafta go.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Okay okay.. I'll check in. It's going to be a selfish post again.

I am out of school on Monday... I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Dominic's Development and cute things:

He recognizes a LOT of letters of the alphabet since he started preschool. He even tells us what one is uppercase and which is lowercase. He is very good at naming A, B, C, D, H, I, K, M, N, O, P and W. Although one of the ways they've taught the kids the alphabet is through letter people so sometimes he'll say "Mr. N".







It's really pretty cute.

His teacher did an evalutation the other day and said she is amazed at his cognitive abilities, that he's somewhere in the 2nd grade with the things he can do at his age. It felt great to hear her say that after all the negative I usually get about his motor skills. (He absolutely refuses to try stairs without holding on, walks a little with his feet outwards, can't ride a bike very well- although he loves to try- he mostly pedals backwards or scoots.)

He loves drawing letters, but we can't get him to draw much else besides shapes or tracing. It's really hard for him to keep a grip on the drawing utensil as his hands don't have the best muscle development either.

As for me-

Still pregnant, still contracting. Day and night... it just doesn't stop. I'm a VERY natural mama when it comes to birth... but man sometimes I wish it would just START or STOP!







: I've only got two weeks left till I'm due... I've never gone overdue... so I know I'm in the homestretch. Is it okay to admit that everyone saying 3 is such a challenge is making me a tidbit nervous? I think two is the bomb. I feel like it's a breeze. It took me until Isaac was a year old to feel that way....







:







but now I feel like I finally have it down and I'm worried everythings going to be thrown off.

Alone time....
Don't get much of that unless it's while I'm IN class... and to me- that DOES NOT count. I don't crave it so much as days where I'm really exhausted I reminisce in my head about "Man... I remember when I could just take a nap whenever... when I could sleep all day if I wanted to..." But I'm having such a blast with the boys my life would never be the same without them. One day without them tears me apart. It's great to get away- but sometimes I wonder why I want that when I spend the whole time wondering how they are doing or thinking about how cute they are.









I think in mothering, as in anything, there are just some real highs and sometimes real lows and it all pans out in the end.

And els- I'll try to check in more often. Let the stalking recommence.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DucetteMama21842* 
Let the stalking recommence.









*imagining silent vegetables peering around corners*








:







:







:

(thanks, meg, for reminding me of that.)


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

My opinions on three are directly proportional to how much sleep I'm getting! Actually, it's not so bad most days as HJ is quite mellow usually and the girls keep each other and now him amused. He's conveniently napping now so we were able to get outside to play in the snow. Girls had a blast.

Danile--interesting on Dom's gross/fine motor stuff. Sounds a lot like C (dyspraxia) though she has made huge leaps in the past couple months w/ 3x a week PT and the hippotherapy.

C's one huge interest has always been the alphabet/numbers. She was really wanting to learn to write all the letters and w/ her dyspraxia sequencing/teaching can be a bit of a headache (for me!) so I got the handwriting without tears set and she took to it on her own and now is a writing fool. Her and Lily could be penpals!







She loves to write everyone's names, but no "no monsters" signs yet. That's too cute!

I picked up the northrup book at the library today (thanks TC!) and I should start reading that while I can!

KK--so bummed that you're having more pain. No fun! Have you tried castor oil packs? That's one thing that popped up when I was searching on the topic.

Okay off to read and enjoy the quiet house!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

claudia that sounds awful







is bill home tonight or tomorrow???

meg - your night in the city sounds GREAT! and that is cool you're focusing on yourself. i feel sucked in by the baby thing too. i bought some postpartum summer clothes because i needed something that fit. but my new shoes are the first winter thing i've bought for myself and i thought WOW i used to really care and get excited about clothes







this is also the first time since college....10 years ago....that i have not had a job to dress for 5 days a week. i am wearing jeans every single day and starting to feel a bit wierd about it. not that i miss work clothes per se, just that maybe i should make some sort of effort kwim?

speaking of effort I WENT TO THE GYM







: ebin turned 6 months and can now go to the kid's room. so today was the first time and i did a quick 30 mins cardio, stretched for 2 minutes and heard 'jessica to the kid's room' it was too close to his naptime but hey i got a whole 30 mins of cardio!!!!!!!!!! woo wooo wooooooooooooo. i think i'll take isaac on friday. he is dying to go.

i'm going to email those other 2 people and see how they feel about the project. maybe that will be elucidating.

danile - very stalky stalky celery stalky







i bet your mind and body will *release* after monday. i had a list of things at work that i wanted to finish before ebin was born. well i finished the last one at 4pm friday afternoon and birthed ebin at 8:40pm that evening. the body KNOWS







:

i am now going to commence paying the dreaded bills and figuring out cash flow for the month and uh.....we've been in denial spending mode so i know it won't be pretty. ugh.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Monday would be cool with me... I am making a trip to a friend's house this weekend... so I'd rather be back at home for my HOME birth than have to drive an hour and a half home to achieve it.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

That driving the car middle of night reminds me of T, 11 mos.







: indeed. How many more days?

Meg, good for you. You are responsible for a WHOLE LOT. (You're like that bicycling acrobatic person with 20 people balancing on your shoulders.) When you're done, I'll hand you over Project KK.














: Seriously, I think I'm beginning to realize that if I don't salvage some me, there's going to be none left by the time the last leaves the house. (Anyone else feel that way?) Re jeans and t-shirts... I guess I'm just a J&TS kind of person.







: But I try to keep them from being too schlumpy. double







:







: and









HF, one of the acupuncturists I talked to mentioned castor oil packs, but I haven't heard of them (at all, or wrt cysts). If you can, please share.

Danile, I'll keep Monday in mind for you.









Keep your fingers crossed.... dh may have a steady freelance (well, pt contract) gig lined up which would match a sizeable percentage of his former salary (somewhere between 50-100%). If it works out, it would provide the stability for him to keep up self-employment (maybe we're turning a corner!!).


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 
Keep your fingers crossed.... dh may have a steady freelance (well, pt contract) gig lined up









:







:




























:







:


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Oooh! Fingers crossed as I am the usual asker for finger crossedness- I'm excited to return the favor!







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Wanted to comment on Jstar's decision: My gut says, go for it. But, not sure, same reservations as you have...definitely less stress to NOT do it.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

Hey all-
been reading, as usual.

KK-I'm hoping the freelancing gig pans out. I've been reading the OY posts, too, just haven't responded yet. Being unemployed is tough. You've been dealing with a lot lately...I do hope it all eases up.







Let us know how the acupuncture goes. I found it really helpful when I was trying to conceive G. I didn't ever know why I had difficulty conceiving from a medical perspective, but whatever the acupuncturist did sure helped! I think TCM is great for many things, but especially the female stuff.

jess-I would be scared to take on a big project like that, too. But, you'll figure out how to make it work. Glad you got a few moments to work out! Oh, and I'd take a free "Parents" subscription (if you're still doing it)...my mom got me "Parenting" for two years, but it's about out. And, I feel like you do...I like to see the mainstream stuff for development and stages info. Oh, we TiVo'd Rudolph last night and watched today. G was scared of the Abominable Snowman, so I had to sit with him and tell him it was going to work out okay in the end. I'd forgotten about the scary parts!

danile-stalking with the rest. Next weeks sounds perfect!

meg-the night out sounds so fun! I hope you had a great time.

mcsarah-when you write about what you have left for this term, it reminds me of that good feeling I used to get at the end of a school semester--when all that's left is totally doable and then you can just chill for a while. I'm amazed at Lily's letters, too! G is asking us all the time what letter words start with. I don't think he's totally getting it yet, but it's a start.

els-your kids' bilingual language stories are so fun. G will make up words sometimes and say "that's spanish, mom" but it really isn't. He must just get it from Sesame Street.

TC-your middle of the night story sounds yucky. I'm sorry you had to go through all that!







is all I've got, but I truly mean it!

Sherri-I feel the same way about not being so good at imaginative play. I like Sarah's way of responding to Lily, though. DH is so good at doing all the imaginative things that I truly feel lacking (this has always been his forte, though, and I felt inadequate when we were in college and he used his creative writing minor to write all these cool poems and works of fiction while I was Miss "follow the rules" thesis and three supporting points gal. I still wish I was better at this stuff, though). G definitely took after dh in this department and has a great imagination, of which I'm so proud. Just wish it didn't exhaust me so!

And, on that point, I definitely could use more "me" time. My two-hour-a-week shift at work is nice, but not cutting it. I know A is only 4 months old, but I, too, feel the need to be out more this time. I've already left her way more than I left G (but never longer than 3 hours at a time.) Plus, she's still so iffy with the bottle. She was taking it really good, so we thought a date night might be in the horizon, but then she totally rejected it while I worked this week. Anyway, I do feel exhausted by all of this, but I feel like if I can just make it through the next year or so, I can handle it. I love babies (mine especially







) but I'm so looking forward to what's next for me. Have no idea what *that* is, but I see time for me on the horizon and it looks so good!

I guess I feel like this is one season of my life...and it will be over before I know it. Plus, dh and I had 11 years together before G came along. As great as it was in some respects, I remember feeling like we had a hole in our life. I knew that hole was kids and we tried to hard to get G. We now feel complete. And exhausted and many times totally frustrated...but complete! We didn't even do anything too exciting in our "past lives." It was just the freedom and ability to jump in the car and go see a movie. I do miss that.

heatherfeather-the northrup book is great. I hope it's helpful.

And, finally....A's 4-month well visit was today. 13 lb. 6 oz., and 25 3/4 inches. Longish and leanish sorta. She's thriving and that's always nice to have told to me by someone else! A also smiles at everyone so much! G wasn't so much like that. He kept his smiles for certain people.

Okay, this has turned out to be sooooo long. Good night, everyone.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Jacqueline, I just now noticed that both your children were born on the 31st of the month! There's a pretty slim chance of that happening!


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Hey everyone!









I'm feelin good tonight. W was fussy all evening after a short late nap, and then proceeded to stay up 2 hrs past bedtime. BUT. While he was up being annoyingly cheerful after bedtime, DH and I were putting the crib together for the first time ever. It has been sidecarred to our bed since L was tiny, but at 10 months old this is NOT working for W. He is so close to toppling over the side. We set up the crib with the mattress all the way down and both siderails on. I nursed W (again) and put him in. He stood up. I walked to the door. He complained. I walked back and laid him down and patted his back. He stood up. I walked to the door....(repeat ad naseum). He never got super upset, and he went to sleep IN THE CRIB BY HIMSELF. Woo hoo! Mama gets alone time! Rock on.

So much to respond to, where do I start? Thinkin stalky thoughts of Danile, resty thoughts for TC and HF, hopeful job thoughts for Jstar and KK's dh, happy thoughts for project Megan, celebratory thoughts for Sarah, and good thoughts in general for everyone else. OK, that's a sort of cheater way of responding, but really, I do appreciate what everyone shares! Indeed, I am appreciating all of you so much right now. You pull me through the rough times.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Awww FF feeling the MMF! love.

I NEED A CHRISTMAS TREE, we haven't been able to find one yet (although time to look has been, like, nonexistent).


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

We don't have ours yet either Els. We're planning on making a family night out of it (choosing, setting up, decorating, etc.) on Monday.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

KK- thinking of you and decisions and getting gigs!

Hi, Jacqueline!







Always great to hear from you.

I will be done with school *hopefully* in June, although there is a chance I may defer my integration (last quarter) and be done in August. Depends on how many births I get next quarter. For some reason the stars are aligning such that I've attended far fewer actual births than all of my classmates, which sucks.

My family has always gotten our tree fairly close to Christmas, so it still seems too early to have one to me. My parents will have one in Florida, so we're not going to get our own this year.

I need to pick something up from school today so Lily and I going to go ride the tram. It will be her first time - I hope she likes it and is not scared!

S.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

oooh i haven't ridden the tram yet. i used to get super-claustrophobic as a kid riding the cable cars in the alps skiing. they would cram 40 billion people in and it all felt a little insane

to do that job i would need professional liability insurance which i am going to get a quote on. i'm guessing $3000....which i don't have right now. but i am still leaning towards yes

i went to court today for a traffic violation. i pleaded not guilty to drag out the possiblity of having to pay the whopping fine and was hoping to take a class instead







: so YAY i get to take a class. the cop was the nicest guy ever too. he said merry christmas!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i forgot to say YAY on the potential freelance contract. that has to feel good!

and loving the cute G stories. and yay on W going to sleep in his crib!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I have a sore throat. So not amused.







: But at least all the kiddos have taken good naps and we can brave the PO (again) and maybe run to the grocery store.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Thanks for the vibes--he got it, starts next week. No deets, but it's good news.









And I can't believe how perky I feel about this, but I scored a "free to a good home" 9' artificial tree in very good condition when I was riding home from preschool drop-off. Every year, we hem and haw about what to do to avoid killing a tree, but we've never been able to bring ourselves to plunk down the $$ for a big ol' hunk of plastic tree, either. (We've always had very creative Christmas "trees"--if you recall, last year we strung our lights and ornaments around a step ladder.) I feel like we've got a good solution for many years now.

And I went to the fabric store and got fabric and notions to make stockings. We've always sort of made do, and I saw a very non-Christmassy stocking which I really liked, so I'm doing my own version of it (x 3).

Feeling so much better. Think we're turning a corner.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

pssst...Sherri...I think that job news needs a wee bit of smilie art of which I am incapable of rendering w/ one hand.









Awesome news KK on both fronts! You crafty thang you! I hope to make the girls a few kittle presents this year, but at this rate I'd be lucky to finish by three kings day!


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *heatherfeather* 
pssst...Sherri...I think that job news needs a wee bit of smilie art of which I am incapable of rendering w/ one hand.









Roger that. Be back later after kids are in bed. Definitely smilie art worthy!!!!


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

yay on the job, KK!!!!! And, your Christmas decorating sounds fun. I wish I was that clever.

This is early for us to have a tree, too. But, we're hosting a little get together for the church staff and leaders on Sunday so we wanted to be decorated by then. This also means we're crazy busy in the next couple days getting food ready. Just hors d'oeuvres and sweets, but it still takes work. And money we don't have....I don't want to see our credit card bill next month. yikes.

fiddle-yay for sleeping in the crib!!!!

heather, I hope your sore throat doesn't turn into anything.

both kids are sleeping. I know this can't last forever, so I better scram and get some stuff done.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

scram....tee hee...haven't heard that in a while!

girls playing quietly, hj snoozing, me grumping about sore throat....off to make some hot tea and wish I had some honey! Might head to the store for some after the kidlets go to bed and pick up Water for Elephants that's waiting at the library.

I had something insightful, witty or possibly just inane to say, but now I totally forget.

Oh, wait, tree stuff! We may yet steal your ladder idea, KK! DH wanted to go get the tree yesterday, but I said it was too cold and let's go Saturday instead, but now it looks like rain! I don't feel too badly about chopping down a tree as teh place we get it from is a family farm that is now also an audubon preserve and they do the requisite tree for tree replanting and plus I just get the warm fuzzies over having our tradition of going to the same place since DH and I were dating. I'll have to dig up a pic of me from way back when....man have I aged!









Someone else ought to come out of the woodwork and post or I'll personally keep us bumped to the first page out of boredom!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'm sick. Horrible nausea, congestion and cold kind of sick.







: This better go away fast. I have a thesis presentation at 7:45 in the am.







:


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Ug, Danile. Pg seems to make any illness worse (actually, with all the increased blood volume, trend toward puffiness, etc, maybe there's truth in that). Just SURVIVE.

If I get organized, I'll look through old pix and see if I can post some of our "creative tree solutions" on my blog this weekend, Heath. The stepladder was one of the best. I don't feel bad about other people having cut trees, as I realize that most of them come from farms or approved forestry thinning projects or whatnot. But remember that I'm squeamish (and weird).







:

Jacquie, I am so much more the "have people over around New Year's" kind of person.







: I guess you don't have any choice, eh?














: Good luck.

Now they want dh in tomorrow. "Will that work with your schedule, KK?" Uh, let me check.... (Dude! I'll carry you there if I have to!) I'm going to try not to get too optimistic about this, but man, I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. I think this will be good for dh's confidence, too.







:


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Oh, danile, that is flat-out unfair. I'm feeling for ya - we are *still* suffering through the worst tummy troubles ever. In one of my clearest moments of insanity ever, I got up this morning, had some really rotten diarrhea, took a shower, nursed Ethan, puked up yesterday's lunch, and decided that since I'd been home from work for two days already, I'd suck it up and deal. And went to work







: It was instantly clear that it was the wrong choice, and half an hour later Ethan's dcp called to say he'd thrown up again. He'd gone about 24 hours, so I thought it was safe to take him. Now I'm just feeling like this is never going to end...

sorry for the whine. I have lots of positive things to say, too, but this babe wants to nurse again and so I'm also going to scram.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

And even in my foul and whiny mood, I can find the energy to laugh at Allison's comment a moment ago - "Quick, Caitlyn, come here! Let's watch Eefin throw up!"


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Oh, how I wish wish wish you were all feeling better.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Miss Juice* 
And even in my foul and whiny mood, I can find the energy to laugh at Allison's comment a moment ago - "Quick, Caitlyn, come here! Let's watch Eefin throw up!"

oh my...







:

hi heather! we were out since this morning: first to a toddler LLL mtg run by a friend, then ou to the coast to check on our house because the storm was really, really bad out there. the last 8 miles of hwy to the coast was a sight to behold, sawn off trees where ones had fallen across or near the road, at least a dozen uprooted giant trees near the road, utility lines down, crews working on them. apparently yesterday was the first day that the road was fully open without pilot cars navigating around debris, just flaggers today though. no power along the entire north coast of oregon. our house is fine, but a tree that was concerning us (a big cedar or fir or something that had lost its top a number of years back) and just has a few branches and spoky broken off top lost one of its branches on the side away from our house. it dropped almost into the road and is now on the shoulder near the end of our property/ on the neighbor's property. the other good thing was that i introduced myself to a neighbor couple that are full time residents down there and gave them our names and cell phones in case anything happens with the house. they gave me his card and he owns his own construction company! woot! now i have a resource other than our realtor! and i have the name and phone number of a tree/arborist company because they were taking down a big tree by the main entrance into town, so i will call them in a few months to come assess our problem tree!

oh, and other good thing is bill comes home tonight! yahooey!

must put dinner in oven. i love trader joe's.

~claudia


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

On a brighter note, a little smilie art for freelance opportunities!




















































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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Oh, Claudia, I'm letting out a big sigh of relief that your house is ok. That must have been some awful storm.


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Re: the storm- the main freeway from Seattle all the way down to California is shut down 1/2 an hour south of Olympia. It was under 10 feet of water, but is almost dry now.







drop Glad your house was ok, Claudia!









Danile- oooooo, I can't imagine being super-pregnant, super-busy, and sick to boot. Thistooshallpass thistooshallpass....

Juice- I love how you can find the humor in any situation. Even when you're complaining, you often make me smile! I too have had times where I and the fam were so sick for so long I wondered if we'd ever be well again (but not as dramatically sick as you all have been!)

Sherri- you truly have a gift with that smiley art







Very appropriate smilies.

Elsanne- I totally love your frequent short post thang. I think it's the glue that holds the May Mamas together.

Jacqueline- it is so cool to me that you are supportive of your husband's calling (not just by hosting parties, either). It doesn't seem to me to be the "stand by your man" thing at all. I can tell that you love him, and though you are your own person and have your own ideas, you are glad for him that he has found something that has meaning to him, and are proud of what he does and who he is. It gives me warm fuzzies. (tee hee- at first I typed warm fizzies.)

And NO, I have not been drinking any warm fizzies. I guess I'm just feelin the May Mama love myself right now. It's one of those good days. I taught CPR to a big class (ie, lots of $$$), and the kids went to bed a bit early tonight









ooooooooooooooo, I almost forgot- congrats, KK! Woo hoo! And Sarah, that is really not fair that you've ended up with fewer births under your belt. May you get many hospital dates near full moons in the next quarter....


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

As of this very minute, I have been trying to put a very tired Jett to bed for 3 hours.














:














:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

:


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Feeling much more myself - and pink again








Finally seeing the light at the end of the Tunnel o' Puke. Not quite out of the woods yet, still pretty rumbly in the belly, but no activity to speak of. WHEW. And Ethan did throw up once more yesterday, but it was more like his tummy's still sensitive and he gagged on something he was eating. So, seriously, enough of that!

Meg, blech on the bedtime struggles! Allison has been a bedtime nightmare lately too. We were in a really nice groove for a while - she and Caitlyn share a room, and we would all go do jammies, teeth, stories, snuggles, lights out, see you tomorrow, piece of cake. THen Allison started with the dragging it out routine - "I need water." "I can't find my dolphin." And finally, my least favorite, "Mom?" "Yes?" "Ummm..... ummmm....." "Goodnight, Allison." "Mom? Umm.... ummmm..." 'twas dizzymaking. NOW however we have progressed to full-on screaming meltdowns over ridiculous things - "I need PRETTY socks for my cold feet." "I didn't say goodnight to Daddy" (yes, yes you did) and so on, until bedtime takes over an hour. Not as bad as three, but hopefully that's not the norm!

TC, so glad the house is good. Sounds like a kicker of a storm.

Yay for Mr. KK (and the KK household!) Super smilie art!

Since I'm feeling human again, I'm off to tackle the eighteen loads of laundry that have piled up, quite stinkily, in my house.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

okay, ack, the response window was open from last night when I wanted to laugh at "eefin's throwing up" fan club, but now it looks like I'm laughing at jett's 3 hr tour. NOT.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I was wondering about that, Els!

Glad the pukies are on their way out. I'm with Sherri and share an unusual fear of vomit/gi bugs after C's three in a row GI bug spell when E was tiny.

I'm still waking up. HJ slept a lovely 5 hour stretch at the beginning of the night, though I wasn't smart enough to go to bed with him. Anywho....he was wide awake for quite a while and smiling at me to boot. Ack!

My sockies arrived today and I was going to try to save them to open, but E spied the purty package and shouted "It's for me! It's for me!" so I opened and she has declared the ribbon her "magic" and "special" ribbon, thus saving the socks for me. Though I don't know how soon I'll wear them as I can't stop petting them! They are lovely! Thank you, thank you, mama!

HJ is such a wakey boy in the mornings that showers are becoming tricky. He's six weeks today...time flies!

Off to bloggy, blog, blogland.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Still here, still sick. Still sneezing and sniffling and not able to swallow.







: Oh well..

Sherri, You win my absolute admiration with your smilie art talent. Really, MDC should pay you for it. I am not such a crafty mama and can never figure out how you do it.









Meg- I totally understand that bedtime behavior. Dominic asks for his "go-go" (teddy bear) when it is clearly IN his arms. Among other constant requests as soon as we leave our room. And this is with him in OUR bed knowing that we'll be there in a couple hours... *Hugs* Hope it gets easier for you and that it will pass soon.

TC- Glad to hear you're doing okay.

Meg- Sorry about the long bedtime struggle... I do not envy you that at all...


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

A C funny and perhaps a sign that I need a Meg-style project makeover as well. After we came home from getting her at school on Wednesday, I took off my sweatshirt and sat down to nurse the babe. She looked a bit perplexed and asked if I was wearing my pajamas or if they were my clothes.







I guess yoga pants + t shirt = pjs I've been busted.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)




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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Thanks for the smilie art... you make me blush.









My goal for today (major







:... I am the bag lady) is to mail my socks.

Not jealous of the pukies, or the floodies. Heath, you got more sleep than I did. Ug.

Something I want to ask y'all... what do you for exercise? (if anything) Before I had kids, I ran daily, but around the same time I conceived T, I developed big foot problems, and I had to stop (I need low impact). I wish I were more consistent about walking/hiking/nordic tracking, but I'm not. And I just don't see me going to a gym right now. So maybe my question is more about motivation...







:


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

My fave exercise is just walking. That and I love the elliptical machines at the Y. We gave up our membership for now thought since getting there is not likely to happen. This summer I also took a prenatal aerobic swim class there and loved it. I hope to eventually rejoin and do some of the deep water aqua classes (you put a floatie around your waist so you dont have to be a super swimmer...I am so not) Definitely low impact and harder than it looks!

grunty baby summons me...


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I am an exercise junkie despite appearances to the contrary. I LOVE exercise because a) It means I am alone, and b) I get the endorphin rush and all other benefits and c) It can be fun.

Dancing is of course my favorite form of exercise. I also jog/walk outside my house around n around the plaza out front. Those are the main two.
I used to go to classes, etc., but right now time & money are at a premium.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

ahhh, fernie, thanks for the supportive words. Being a clergy spouse is different than anything I thought I'd be when dh and I met all those years ago (I wrote an essay in HS about being the first female president...). And, I don't like the stereotypical spousal roles anyway, let alone clergy spousal roles, so it's kind of a learn-as-I-go sort of thing. And I have ended up doing the very thing I didn't think I would do as far as being a SAHM, so I try to do it in my own way but often feel people see me in their own lens (of course they do) and that I've lost all sense of radical feminism. Of course, I know my choices say a lot more about me than I give myself credit for but it's still easy to question if I've lost "it" in the midst of everything.

DH and I have learned in the short time he's been a minister that it is, after all, just a job. Yet, it's also *not* just a job. It's a bizarre occupation to be sure.

So, there's my waxing philosophical for the day.

KK-about exercise: I'm starting to think about it again, which is much sooner than with G. For me right now, that means I might do the Denise Austin workout that's on Lifetime each morning. It's a bit lame, but does get me moving. I TiVo it and do it during nap time. That said, I've only done it twice in the last month. But, that's something! I do like to walk, but it's been so poopy weather-wise. I have a membership to the community center since I work there, but don't ever go just to work out. They only take babies 1 year old and walking. G can go, but A not for a while. I love yoga and pilates and did that actively at the Y in Texas when G was one. I want to get into that again. I really like Pilates and think it's so great especially for moms.

gotta run to the grocery store...again...and it's snowing/raining! Ick.


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Ugh. So tired this morning. Finally got Jett to sleep around 10:30 or 11:00. Not sure because I conked out too. I woke up at midnight and moved him/us into his bed (where I usually sleep most of the night) and I was in a pissy mood about it all, so then I proceeded to have really bad dreams all night.







:

And no, this sort of thing doesn't happen all that often with him. But last night was especially annoying because the night before we went out to that company party and I was super tired (read: mildly hungover







) all day yesterday. I told John at 3 PM, "If I am in bed by 9 tonight, it will be too late." I must have totally jinxed it because Jett took and early nap and I thought for sure he would be out by 7:30. But no.

Anyway... exercise. Ha! Nuff said.

HF, please remind yourself that you are 6 WEEKS PP! If you want to walk around in street safe pjs, so be it. My "I just had a baby" excuse ran out a loooooooong time ago.









I have always been jeans and t shirts person, but only some of the time. I used to really enjoy sporting cuter stuff now and again (esp for work) but for years now I have wearing them every day and it feels stale to me. I also know how much better I feel about myself when I put in a little effort (word up to that, Jess). I'm not really looking to be dressed up, just..... dressed.









Looking forward to a fun day tomorrow. My parents are taking the kids for the afternoon and John and I are going to lunch and then Christmas shopping. Then at 5:30, we scoop up the kids and head to a holiday party with a bunch of families from our playgroup. Note to self: pack pjs because if we play our cards right, at least one kidlet (hopefully Mr J) will conk out in the car during the 7 min drive home.

Gotta run.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i am erratic with exercise but really love how it makes me feel. i am not really a gym person either but that is what is working for me at this point in life. i have to have a goal though to be motivated. i'm snowboarding in january so i know i have about 5 weeks to develop some muscle tone! i bought a jogging stroller but have yet to jog. i feel like i'm not even in shape enough to do that right now. the elliptical at the gym is an easy quick way for me to work up a sweat although i really prefer to take an hour class because it feels like a better full-body workout (usually step or the kickboxing/weights but i'd like to try the yoga and pilates too at some point). i don't think ebin will be ready for 1hr classes for a little while yet though. i am also more motivated when people i know are going to the class too. i'm a social exerciser. one of my friends said she is doing the 9am m/w/f class but since we collectively are waking up at 8:45am here lately...that is not working!

i was going to go to the gym today but the trip on wednesday resulted in a very stuffy-nose snotty baby. so maybe tomorrow i can duck out while MIL is here. and for all my complaining about missing the good ol days MIL is coming back tonight for the weekend and said 'you guys can go out tonight!' cool. i don't know what we'll do.

juice - thanks for the morning chuckle









ooh the sidleline smilies just changed.

claudia - i'm glad everything was ok with the beach house. it is getting a little nuts how long they've been without power now over there. no showers no cooking! poor people

and that flooding in chehalis was nuts. i saw some burly pictures.

danile - i hope you survived your presentation. being pregant and sick is the PITS!

ok babe fusses. my time is up


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Presentation sucked. I live in WAY too mainstream of a culture. I knew better than to mouth off about AP practices... but I voiced the "no cry sleep solution" as a middle of the road between AP and crying it out.

My fellow students just DID NOT get it. The repeated comments went something like

"My mom never had bad experiences with us crying it out and I'm fine today."

"Isn't it good for their lungs?"

"I've seen young kids manipulate"

"I don't think that works for every kid. Some kids NEED to cry it out"








:







:







:







:







:

Oh well. I guess all that matters if what my teacher thought... and that remains to be seen. I have to revise it and return it by Monday- and then I'm finished! I took my biology final today (went through an entire box of kleenex in the process) and feel pretty confident that I'll get a good grade there.

I'm off to one of our best friends houses (whom are all sick too...) to share some relaxing laughs amid kleenex, vitamin c and a fellow AP kinda parent that will make me feel a lot more normal if only for a few days.







I probably won't post over the weekend... but if I do- it will probably be because I'm in labor at her house. She's a fellow MDC mama and would totally understand.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Oh jeez, Danile, that's taking the bull by the horns. But maybe you got through to someone who needed to hear it...well done, mama! Now that's over!
Have a great, relaxing weekend. Get better soon!


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

been out allllllllllllllllllll day:

first to a breakfast playdate at a local mdc mama's house, then off to another mdc playdate in portland, then to the local non-chain, babies and kids' gear and furniture store to learn how to install marek's carseat forward facing (yes, we are just now doing this, as he is not even 30lbs and will be 3.5 tomorrow but we figured it was time, since with clothes on he is closer to the 33lb carseat rearfacing limit), then to the grocery store to pick up chicken for dinner, and then i remembered that is right next to a powell's books location and i wanted to pick up a book, then i remembered that the mac store is down the way and someone told me they have really good, attentive service and since i was completely ignored at the apple store the other day when i wanted to ask them questions about ipods, i thought i'd give this one a try. still contemplating the ipod vs. iphone vs. mp3 player sitch. i need a new phone because i hate my razr and we are a cell phone only family now. bill is not helpful in answering my questions with this because he uses technology like this in a completely different capacity than i would/do. so i have some more info now but am undecided still. anyone have thoughts?

whew. it was a long day. stefan napped 45 minutes this morning on the drive from one playdate to the other, was a total grumpasaurus and whiny, crying mess at the 2nd playdate because he was hungry and then he was tired but he didn't fall asleep as i was headed to the carseat place and then he didn't fall asleep while i was headed to the grocery store but he FINALLY fell asleep on our drive home from the grocery store and has been sleeping for just under an hour now. i will let him sleep for another 30 minutes or so and then wake him so we can have a reasonable bedtime around here. marek fell asleep on the drive home, too, but i brought him inside and lay him down on the couch and he woke up a couple of minutes later, so hopefully he will have a reasonable bedtime, too...???

anyway, hope everyone has a groovy weekend!

oh, and i opened my socks package and they are nifty! thanks, mama!

so has everyone sent their socks packages? has everyone received theirs? shall we plan on doing a big public reveal/thank you on monday afternoon? whaddya think?

~claudia


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I have to come clean here:

I STILL have not mailed my recipient's socks, and she's going to have a great pair much later this month.

So, reveal away, without me...

Feeling mega-







: about this but can only do what I can do, and in the few short sock-searching episodes have had burly bad luck.


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## emmalola (Apr 25, 2004)

Holy Carp, friends! I just went to look at MDC and realized that it was december already. And I haven't logged in since Nov. And I had forgotten that it was time for a new thread. and it's already the 7th. Do I feel like a MDC slacker or what. I've been totally broadsided by the sheer enormity of parenting two kids without daycare and it's getting me down.







But I'm hanging in there, trying to prioritize, trying to figure out what my priorities are in the first place. A lot of it is happening on my blog, thanks to the challenges of holidailies.

My socks have been sent. I sent them on Wednesday, I think. It was late, but they're good so I hope I get a pass. And I sent them priority mail. speaking of priorities.

Danile, I'm impressed you were bold enough to suggest to people that forcing their babies to cry themselves to sleep was not the best plan. totally impressed. People believe so strongly in the crying thing, I just don't bring it up. good for you.









I've finally gotten around to reading the spirited child book. Wow, is that good stuff. Yup, we've got a spirited child here. And even if he wasn't spirited, there's still a lot of great parenting tips in there for every parent. I need to go back and look at my myers briggs score again. I feel like I'm about ten steps behind all y'all- didn't we talk about this before? doh.









this morning my friend hosted a Mary kay party for me. It was nice, although only one other person could make it. It was supposed to be 5 of us. Now I'm all made up and I'm sort of surprised my skin can look this good. silly girlie.









time to go. bedtime.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Man, Danile, that's BRAVE.







Most of my RL friends are more mainstream than me, and that is one topic I am just too chicken to talk about with them. Let alone strangers. Or for a grade.







:

I had a [email protected]$$ day, too. I can totally tell that things are turning around for us, because when I went to the P.O., it was nearly deserted--no wait for me! (No express mail slips for the kids, either, HF!) Then the HF store (not Heather, the other HF). Got my castor oil for my pack (and the usual other stuff). Then non-sleeping QT for Z







: while I tried a bunch of Pilates mat exercises (I'm old! I'm lumpy! I'm not very strong!).







Then picked up T for a Pump It Up (anyone else have these?) b-day party. The little ones fell asleep, so I sat knitting in the car. Then we went to Costco on the way home (I succumbed and got a membership a couple of months ago, but I'm very disciplined about what I buy). Then to the Humane Society to make a donation in the name of our neighbor boy whose b-day party T is going to *tomorrow* (he asked for that instead of gifts, isn't that sweet?). Made dinner, waiting for it to finish.

Don't feel bad about the socks, Els. I had difficulty finding something I liked *and* managing the logistics to get out and find the socks in the first place (small people thwart me.... hmm... new sr. title). I don't feel horrifically guilty (yet) about my lateness, because mine haven't arrived yet.







We're all mamas, and we're all herding cat herds of various sizes (and temperments), and I think we can be understanding if socks slide down the to do list.







:

Off to check EL's blog. I hope life is treating you well, though it sounds like the little legumes are running you ragged.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emmalola* 
My socks have been sent. I sent them on Wednesday, I think. It was late, but they're good so I hope I get a pass. And I sent them priority mail. speaking of priorities.

LOL I think we're the same person! I was going to send mine on Tuesday but couldn't with all the puking, and did send them on Wednesday and sent them priority to make up for being late. And they're good. Haven't received mine yet, but so not stressing about it. I so totally know how sometimes it's easy and sometimes it isn't.

Danile, you rock. And at least the presentation is DONE. Now have a wonderful, restful weekend, since you have a baby to birth on Monday. (totally kidding. But you should rest anyway.)


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i feel the sock love







:

i never even thought about babies crying it out before i had one (didn't know anything about *any* parenting philosophies). and i learned about the detriments of cio at my hospital new mom's group. funny huh? i actually learned a lot at that group.

i should read the spirited child book. i know i've got one. i do not think i have two. no. 2 is a very different creature indeed. ha! as if i have time to read a book. i am making my way through positive discipline about 2 pages a night before i conk out


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Claudia- iPhone. Get it.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

sent my sock mail last Thursday (11/29). haven't received any yet, but I figure it will come in good time. Not worried.

got the start of a little sore throat last night and woke up feeling more, well, phlegmy. Thanks Heather







Just kiddin. DH has been fighting the crud for a week. And, with all the sweets I've been making (and consuming) I'm not too surprised the immune system is a little compromised.

EL-good to hear from you. I hear ya on juggling two. Hang in there









gotta go start baking again.


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

I got my socks! At first I thought I would never get to wear them because Eleanor kept them in a shopping bag for a couple of days saying "They're mine." but I managed to sneak them away after bedtime. So soft, so cute and festive. I really like them! Both socks and the May Mamas make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

jacquie--oops! phlegmy is the word though. ick! I think I prefer that to coughing and hacking which thankfully I'm not doing yet. Nursing babes do not like to be jolted by a coughing mama!

lisa--warm and fuzzy indeed! E is still enamored with her 'magic' ribbon.









We went and chopped our Christmas tree down and it was slim pickins in the field we usually go to so we had to walk around and around until we found our Charlie Brown. E was a mess, but C had fun. At one point she exclaimed, "It's like we're in the forest!" And on the way over she wanted to know if I knew the way to the "Christmas tree patch" ....guess she's still got Halloween in mind!
Pics later on the bloggy if I can get HJ to snooze. He was up lots last night so I'm hoping the poor dude isn't getting what I have.

I just devoured the last of the quiche I made for dinner last night. Why had I never tried to make quiche before? So easy and yummy and everyone ate it!

Happy weekend mmf!


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Cute about going to the Christmas Tree Patch, Heather. Eleanor keeps play acting Santa asking her dollies, "What do you want for Halloween?" I think she thinks that Halloween=Holiday.

On a more serious note, Annie needs to have a CT scan. I think I wrote before that her head is off the charts large. Well, it's still growing and our doctor wants us to do a CT scan to see what is going on. If it is hydrocephaly it is better to treat it early. I am terrified - for both the scan, which will involve oral sedation, and the possible diagnosis. Heahter, did your little have to do sedation for the tests you had done? Annie is 10 months and not very good about being out of our arms/eyesight. I don't expect her to handle a CT scan well. And then of course, the possible underlying issues causing the head growth are terrifiying. I try not to focus on that because we just don't know if there is anything yet, but it is hard not to fear and get anxious about the worst.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

We were lucky for C, her fontanel was still large enough that they could do an u/s. For her MRI this summer she had IV sedation, but I think the first med (versed) may be what Annie will get. It's supposed to make them happy/loopy so hopefully that will help w/ the separation. Did Alison have a big noggin as a kid? Hopefully all will go smoothly and you'll get some answers/reassurance.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

lisa: that sounds scary. you may remember that marek's head was also huge as a little babe. like 90th % and his weight was like 7th and height like 15th... can't remember exacts... our naturopath was concerned about his large head compared to his smaller body, but the MD we saw twice because of the weight gain issues was not concerned because he indicated we would see other developmental and physical things going on, which we didn't at the time and still haven't. are there developmental or other physical things with Annie that are also pushing you to get the CT scan?


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Heather, I am seeing online that a CT scan is more common but an MRI is more accurate. Can you share what the MRI (and iv sedation) was like?


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

We had it done at the Children's Hospital satellite center so they were very experienced and nice. They let her play until just before they were ready for the MRI then quickly put in an IV and gave her the versed. I'm blanking on the name of the second sedation med penta something or another? pentabarbitol? maybe. Anywho....that second med is the had part of the sedation to watch because it depresses their breathing and they monitor and administer oxygen as needed until they are stable. She didn't need oxygen until they took her back, but the MRI went smoothly and she stayed asleep.

The hard part for her was the waking up from sedation as she didn't 'sleep it off' for 30-45 min like they like them too and proceeded to cry, writhe and talk about wanting to get up to leave for an hour or so. The second med takes 24hrs to leave the system and she couldn't walk for that whole time w/o great assistance although mentally she wanted to.

So not a rosy picture, but if it the more accurate test for looking at the ventricles and structures, then maybe that is somethign to ask about. I'm sure the deciding factor is $$ as MRI's are really costly.

**hugs** I know how hard it is to do all this research and inquiry to be her best advocate--it's still hard on the heart though to consider what could be wrong. **hugs** for Alison too!


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Lisa:







s. L had sedation for his endoscopy when he was 1.5 yrs old. They gave him an oral anti-anxiety med 1st. We got to be with him while he was getting loopy. They wheeled him into the procedure room before giving him the actual sedative, so I don't know much about it, but he was totally groovy and out of it when they wheeled him away, so he didn't mind being separated from us at all. _I_, on the other hand, was a bit of a basket case (at least inside) and almost passed out myself. L recovered pretty quickly from the sedative. In his case, it really WAS harder on us than on him.

Socks: as in the case of most transitions, I want to plead for more time.







Could we wait perhaps till Wednesday? It seems like there are still a fair number that haven't sent/received (though I've done both).

It is passed midnight and I'm tired so some of what I read is getting fuzzy in my memory:

Megan- Ugh. Hate the hard nights when you most need the sleep.

Danile and Juice- hope you're completely mended very soon!

Emily- totally understandable to fall off the MDC radar in a month like December! Good to hear from you. Yipes. No childcare at all. That is burly of you.

On spirited children: I think my kids have their own unique quirks, but aren't so stronly on one end of any of the spectrums mentioned in the book. Still, I liked the language to speak of our children's more challenging traits in positive terms. I think the book is helpful to anyone.

All right, I am SERIOUSLY tired. Nighty night.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

For those who know the backstory (oy!), this is classic. My mom called at 1030 to say they'd be here around 230pm on their way to Florida. Guess I needn't have worried about calling her after all. Should be interesting. She just assumed I knew what all was going on. I did, but still!!

HJ is all out of sorts so sleep was cuh-razy last night. As an added bonus, I heard my computer go kerplooey in the middle of the night and now it won't turn back on at all. TG I have this laptop already!

Wore my sockies all day yesterday! Sooooo cozy. If my gifter were a tree, this would be us.







:









Okay...finaly got hj down for a nap so I should go relax before the fun begins.

Since this is all about me, help on sleep/napping stuff por favor....
The boy is awake nearly all morning! No napping=growth spurty stuff?? I might as well be drinking coffee!


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Just had to pop in with HUGS for Lisa - I am so sorry you guys are dealing with this! Sounds scary. I hope it all turns out to be nothing.

I also got my socks - so lovely and SOFT. I love them! Thanks, mama!

Gotta go help DH putting up beams in the basement...







:

S.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

lisa - that sounds worrisome! i hope you get some answers and that it is nothing. is the ct scan this week? we will think of you all

hf - i hope the grandma visit is smooth







hugs for the sleep stuff too. it is so hard to tell with newborns. sometimes they seem to sleep all day and you think 'hey this isn't all that bad' and then other times they really don't sleep when you REALLY need them to! ebin woke for the day at i think 5ish and MIL came and took him (my mom would never do that....mega MIL points!). i didn't get up until ELEVEN. omg. MIL has also got ebin chowing on the baby oatmeal where i hadn't had much success in the handful of times i had tried it. sadly she is going back to corvallis to work this week and then going home next saturday.

emily - is it the no daycare for the babe that is hard? is the lentil still at his montessori? i admit i am more zen now that i have 2 nanny days a week







: i can get so much done when i get in efficiency mode on those days.

have fun with the beams sarah







we installed our new backdoor yesterday. which is not as easy as you would hope with of course nothing in our house being square. we're trying to squeeze it into a tight opening to avoid redoing the whole header so there isn't a lot to work with in trying to get it square and opening smoothly







what a pita but i am excited about it

i love this







:







:







:

must shower and go buy birthday presents for a party this afternoon. i really want to avoid the toy store but i can't!


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## emmalola (Apr 25, 2004)

Oh- the lentil is still at montessori all day. I'm not that burly. just wuss, I suppose. But I'm learning that I need my "me" time or I get pretty bitchy.

lisa, I'm sorry about the bigheadedness. Noone needs extra worries. parenting is hard enough.

no time! hi!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

el, love the drive-by post! I so hear you on the "me" time. I am an avid consumer of the scraps I get.

Lisa, I am thinking about you so much with the ct scan. That must be so frightening, and I am sending you strong warm loving energy. Also, holding little A in the light in my mind....

Fern, thanks for pleading for more time especially wrt Sock Exchange Losers like myself. I swear, they're gonna be awesome, when they get around to gittin' to their recipient.
There just isn't a place here where you can say, "oh! I'll go to _______ (the mall, target, walmart even ffs*), and pick up those socks on Monday. Then, I'll go to the post office, (which is downtown and there is NO PARKING anywhere close, maybe a block away if you are very very lucky,) and just pop it off in the mail.
*for f's sake

So, I went to the "mall" or what would pass for one, and the huge new department store just opened last month, our first one in SAn Miguel? No sock department. Not even nylons.

Then, I cruise along Canal street, which has tchochke stores galore, all made in china...nope.

So, I'm still looking. I want to send off cool socks, yk? Not just made in china stuff you can get over yonder, not cool in anyway.

If it sounds like I'm justifying my behavior, well, I am.







I could have started my search long ago.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

maybe you need this or just buy non-socks

heh. new smilies







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

You have saved my sanity...sock recipient, here I come!


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Top o' the mornin' to y'all.









Lisa, I hope that this procedure is done ASAP (so you can stop worrying about it) and that the 2 mamas get through it all okay, too. I'm glad that they check stuff like this, but I've known a few other people IRL who've gone through this, and their kids just had big heads. Hoping that's the case with Annie.









Heath, how'd the "visit" go?
















I need that new smiley... cold here, and plenty o' snow left over.







: (ooh, look, it's KK:


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

and els, you could have them shipped directly to the recipient (though I'm bettin' you already thoughta that.)

Another big hug for Lisa and the fam. The worrying and waiting are so hard, they suck the life right out of you. Allison had to have a bunch of horrible tests when she was a babe, but she was much younger and she was never sedated (except for the actual surgery, but that's kinda different). And while an MRI might be more accurate, I know a CT is much faster (a few minutes vs. 20-45 minutes) and less expensive, so if a CT would rule out hydrocephaly, I'd go that route first for sure. I'm so sorry you hve to deal with any of it in the first place.

I'll be back with an update on us, but I had to interrupt this post when Ethan threw up all over the couch (yep. still.) and now I've only got one hand.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

oh gods, jui-say. that suuuuucks. Hope this too passes like, pronto.








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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

ugh. nauseous migraine. nanny mcphee is going to babysit us all right now while i lay on the couch and wait it out. 3 advil have done nothing. maybe the toast and halfcaf will help

stress? maybe. our client is expecting two things to submit today and M was supposed to review them friday. she was so busy friday she told me she was starting at 7pm. well i heard nothing and she flew to mexico sat morning. so i''m not sure what to do about that.....and am expecting my client to call at some point soon









i hope eeefan can get over the pukies soon.

ebin went down for the night around 9 and then was awake and giggly from 10 to midnight







this headache had already set in at that point. and then he was screamy screamy when he woke up a few times during the night. i think the baby oatmeal is messing with his tum or something. i have a sposie on waiting for tHE BIG ONE







he's a seldom pooper to begin with so i'm not sure what solids will do to his system.

we went to a birthday party yesterday at an *amazing* house. just georgous








:







:


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

oh dear God, jstar, I am drooling over sock dreams. I cannot afford that link! I hope your head feels better soon. Not good at all.

I agree, totally KK







: Master Gardener full of love!

Um, when is the universe going to look kindly on the Juice family? This is way too much vomiting for a may mama.

Thank you all for the support regarding the CT scan/big head scare. So we're waiting on the HMO approval for the CT scan and then we are going to schedule it. I have no idea what the wait for the procedure appointment may be. Our ped implied that it would be something we could do right away. The tricky part about hydrocephalis is that has no symptoms besides a large head under 18 months unless it is tied to another disorder/disability. Annabel is on time/early for all milestones but she is small and that is a possible indicator. I have no hunch that she has any developmental issues at this point, but it is hard to "trust" her. She had been a blissful baby in many ways (sleep, in particular) but she has also brought us: late breech turns, c-section, placenta accreta, coughing blood when boarding airplanes, pneumonia, low weight gain, and now a big head. It's not that this is a lot to handle (though it is) but more that it has had a cumulative effect on my confidence in "everything will be fine."


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

oh, and







:


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Lisa--everything will be fine and I say that as a mama who has had tests (E's kidney reflux) not come out fine and waiting on C's mri results w/ the seizure stuff was nerve wracking. I guess I've just made peace with the imperfections and quirks that have been thrown our way. Sounds like you two have been doing the same all along.

Juice---enough already w/ the pukies! Eeek!

The fam damily visit was weird, but okay in that it was more for the kiddos than for me.

Saw the mw today and waaaaahhh! I know we're done w/ babies, but it's hard to close that chapter, yk? She thinks not cysts, just stuff from the surgery/incision and that kind of creeps me out. So wait and see for now and I see my new primary doc on Friday so am going to get her two cents as well. May yet ask for an u/s. dunno.

okay....off to fiddle around on the 'net....


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Heather--I am psyched that your mom made the effort to come see the kids. That is huge, in my book. Glad it went as well as it could. and, ARE you done with kiddos? Really? For sure? You seem to get knocked up on a dime...(like myself..)

Sock Dreams is indeed a dream. I think my sock recipient will be happy now. Sock Recipient, do you know who you are yet? If not, check the email that I think actually belongs to your husband, registered with the yahoo group.
I actually covered another friend's gift there too, and am totally happy with the link.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Quick reply to HF--one of the sucky things about Cs is that yeah, there *is* pain in the healing, long after you think it should have gone away. My C was pretty straightforward, and I think I had pain in that area (plus numbness) for around a year. The scar is *still* a little tender 6 1/2 yrs later.







: I dunno if the other May mamas (or May mama associates) who've had Cs would agree. I'm not sure what it's all about (MCSB?)--if it's just the healing process, if it's adhesions, or what, but it sucks.

Juice: I command the barfing to stop. NOW.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

I think there might be certain nerve endings that are cut during a C, thus causing some tingling and or numbness.









Go away Barfies at the Juice house!







:







:

Oh, Lisa, I'm hopnig for the best with the scan for A. How nervous you all must be. I hope it's just a quirk of her, and nothing serious. Here's some for you, too... goodvibes:







:

jstar, hope the headache is subsiding...

better get going, Katie's out on the deck playing in the snow. Girlfriend loves to make snow angels.







:


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

methinks Danile is having a baby or laboring or just sighing in relief at being done w/ school!

Girls watching their fave Christmas movie....Franklin's magic christmas...thanks ebay! Off to give bebe some tummy time so he can perfect his tummy time avoidance maneuver...aka rolling from belly to back...quite good at it!

So glad it's warmer and rainy here....not ready for







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I was thinking that too (she hadn't checked in lately). She was supposed to wait until Monday, and it's Monday!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

my dh can help when he needs to







he came and took isaac out while i had a verrrrry deep nap. amazingly ebin napped the whole time. i will survive gloria gainer style. it was only an hour nap but made a big diff

these new smilies crack me up

lisa - i can see why you'd be feeling the 'cumulative' effect that she may have a surprise in store or something (but i really hope not). i'm sure it is a good sign her developmental milestones have been on target.

hf - i'm glad the visit was good for the kids. and it's sad to see the mw go i'm sure! that is scary about the healing pain but i've read other people in my ddc complain about the numbness afterwards and how long it took to go away. the pain must be healing going on in there and hopefully that will go away too!

i am feeling more and more sure that 2 is it for me. this baby stuff kicks my butt. the thought of 3 scares me. my migraine felt like a pregnancy migraine and doug even asked me if i was pregnant. god i hope not. there is like a 99.8889% chance i am not. but i told him saturday 'fine get the V!' maybe he will







:

an insanely large box of pressies arrived today. FIL and S-MIL will never visit us. but they try to make up for it at christmas. it's wierd.

i haven't looked much at the sock site yet because i don't need any temptation


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

rolling!!! omg

snow sounds fun







: we had about 10 flakes this weekend but that was about it

maybe danile is having a baby!







:


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

When it was time to get ready to pick T up from school, I discovered that when dh took our (1) car, it had the baby carrier in it.







(I usually either take the stroller + baby carrier or bike + trailer.) It's too snowy to bike, and I can't carry one and push the other, so I decided I'd just wake them up, bundle them up, and pull them on the sled. Z was groggy and slammed the toilet lid on his penis.







: L lost a mitten on the way.







They both rolled off into a snow bank (and remaining mittens fell off, rendering hands snowy).







: The tow rope broke.







Etc. (Much wailing on their part and gnashing of teeth on my part ensued.) But... when I got home, there were SOCKS!







Amazing marvelous socks!







Between the socks!







and popping some popcorn,







: all is well in the House of KK. Thank you, dear sockster. You made my day.







:


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Wow, maymamas, thanks for all the







: and the good vibes and the pukey-banning. I don't want to say anything too loud right now, but I think it's over. Ethan has regained his good spirits and his appetite, and I feel human again for the first time in a week. I could regale you all with tales of puke that would make your tummies turn, or make you howl with laughter, but I think I'm gonna let it die.

May my sheets stay clean tonight.

So I feel good today, finally. I had a great day in the office, adjusted a bunch of people including DH (yes, I make him come to the office) and have some lovely mushroom soup ready for dinner. I went upstairs and changed into my jammies, but left my feet bare because I am so far behind on laundry that I have no socks.... until...

THERE WERE SOCKS IN MY MAILBOX! Lovely, lovely, warm, snuggly, perfect-fitting socks. In my favorite shade (how did you know?) and with my favorite sinful little indulgence ever included! My sock swapper rocks... my....








: Maymamas Rule.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

(aw, crap. Allison just threw up. I'm going to pretend it's unrelated.)


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

just wanna say the new smilies rock...

that is all.

~c


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I'm an idiot. Upstairs computer is fixed w/o needing a fix. I'll save myself some embarrassment as to what wasn't wrong w/ it! Still need to upload a kajillion pics and whip together some photobooks at winkflash. Guess it would be better if I didn't wait to print pics but once a year. Yes, I am that bad. Forget scrapbooking....can't really do that w/o pics, huh?

Juice---gah! May this be the most excitement at your house all winter.

I need to go







: or something; I'm in a funky mood. blah.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

: <---- what, in G-d's name, is that???

I'm going to wear my socks tomorrow while I'm on call to remind me of warm fuzzy home-y things.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

that, my friend, is "energy"... not that many of us would know what that feels like







:


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## emmalola (Apr 25, 2004)

socks! I loves me some socks! Oh, happy day.

And KK, forgive me, but I laughed when I read about your horrible day. thank the goddess for socks on a day like that!


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Miss Juice* 
that, my friend, is "energy"... not that many of us would know what that feels like







:









:

You kill me.

Anyone else's kids listen to Laurie Berkner? Know that song "This is me, this is me...this is me and my energy..."? That's what I'm going to think of from now on when I hear that song: a little pink stubby-armed smilie flapping around me.

Juice, I hope the sickies get the heck out of dodge soon. That is NO FAIR.

KK, your day does sound like a big suckfest. Yeech. Until the socks.

Lovely labor vibes for Danile IF she needs them.

I got 98% of my Xmas packages mailed today - wowza. Hoo-boy, glad that's over. Now on to addressing cards...

DH is in the basement putting up the new center beam for the entire house. It's freezing outside. Whatta man.

G'night all.

S.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'm back ladies. No baby yet, I've still got a house to clean.

All papers are turned in and I got a 70% on my biology final. That is HUGE for me. I got 100% on everything else in the entire class but the tests... and they don't count for a big part of my grade, so I should still have an A in that class because of all the Extra Credit I did.

Lisa- Praying for you. Isaac had a HUMONGOUS head. Really... the poor kids head was a wide as his shoulders.







It was continuously in the 90-100th percentile... but his docs weren't concerned because he developed at a normal rate. I can't imagine the scare of having to have an MRI... but better to be safe than sorry right? I'll be thinking of you.

And to all the mamas with pukey kids- I banish the pukiness! December should be a month of rest for us all... No sickness. We all get better and nothing else better dare hit the rest of the month! I command it!


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Wait, Heath- HJ is like, 7 weeks old, right?!!!! He's rolling? Wow, that is so cool! Go baby feather!

I am leaving W with a dear friend (one who helped birth him, actually), tomorrow. I am super freaked out about it, cause while he's been away from me quite a bit, it's always been with dh or our babysitter. W doesn't really know this person. She is sweet and calm and collected and will do an awesome job, but I'm worried that W will be scarred for life when I drop him off with a stranger for 6 hours. Sigh. I'm doing this so that I can take a class that may lead to a $20/ hour job which I'm not even sure I want, except for the money. I may not survive my worry. Dh has the company emergency cell phone, and I'm going to give her the number.

Danile, congrats on getting done with all that schoolwork. Cleaning house is a good labor project.







And it doesn't have to be perfect- it's just gonna get dirty again, so put your feet up, mama!

KK, what a day! Juice, may your household be healthy very very soon.

Hey, me! Get to bed, pronto! Big day ahead.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Ferny--that last line made me giggle. very much appreciate the humor when hj is having one of those nights. hoping jobby stuff sorts out as it was meant to. mellow baby vibes to W!

danile --you're welcome to come clean mine as well if it'd bring on labor for ya!







wtg w/ the A!!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

How are you feeling, Danile?

How is the Juice family doing?

besos


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Els---how are *you* doing? Any cool gigs or kidless fun you time coming up? How are things going w/ Tierra?

Just being nosy!

Mommy needs coffee. Pondering stopping by the mcd's drive thru for an iced coffee on the way to C's PT. That desperate. Wish I could figure out why some nights are just horrid for sleep and the others are fine. Crazy tired. busy week. not a good combo!








: tee hee That's definitely my girls at mealtime when I'm moving too slow.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Heath, thanks for askin'. Some new news on my blog, nothing exciting, but gives you an idea where I'm at. I had a good weekend with a private bellydance course I gave to some women from Mex City, that was very most cool, so most of the weekend I was kidless although it wasn't relaxing. Not even remotely. Getting people together for things (the trip to San LUis Sat. night) is always a PITA.
Tierra Adentro (and all of my vacation rentals, all 3) are full for the holiday and I have a lot to do to get ready for them. It's exciting, our first real rental of the big place, so the owner is happy. Now, must go purchase big flatscreen TV for the house, get DirecTV, install heaters, things like that.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'm feeling good. Uncomfortable, but good. I'm still sick- but it's mostly a recovering sick. Still sniffling, but I feel 110% better... feel on the mend.

Heather- For a second I read your post wrong and thought you said, "Pondering going through MDC's drive thru for coffee"... That had me stumped for a minute. What? MDC has a drive thru?

Els- I second the "how are YOU doing?" I guess that is just one of the things we all love about elsanne... she's always concerned about one of us. This tree is Elsanne:







:

Last night we didn't get home till 11.







I'm a VERY picky Christmas tree picker and it took us probably 5 hours just to pick THE perfect tree. I must not have realized how big it was though. It's 10 ft. tall!!! Maybe I'll take pictures. I love big, fat, full trees that make my whole house smell like a forest!







DH stayed up till one setting up the lights and such so that the boys would be surprised when they woke up.







Can I just say it's incredibly romantic looking in this house with the smell, sight and feel of christmas in the air? I am excited to birth in such a beautiful environment (provided my bedroom and kitchen are clean.)









Good morning to all my MMF's!


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Danile - usually I have the reputation for taking five hours to pick out a tree because I am a big







:. Alison about fell over when we went to get our tree on Saturday and I walked in, asked Eleanor what she thought of a tree, picked it up and asked for help loading it on the car. I think we were at the lot for about 5 minutes. I am in a laissez faire kind of mindset these days - whether that means I am maturing and getting less controlling or that I am depressed and just can't be bothered with caring is left to be decided. I will think about that later. If I can be bothered to care.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i hope it is just your go with the flow vibe kicking in lisa







: we had a pretty quick tree-picking this year too. ours is the shortest we've had in years (it's the same height as me).

and i looooooooove christmas tree smell and ambiance. i can imagine that would be a wonderful homebirth environment!!
















i drank real coffee this morning and it doesn't seem to have been enough. isaac has a cough which only seems to kick in at night so between his cough and the 2-hr feedings we had last night i feel a little zonked. velvet vanilla bundt cake for breakfast is helping though







(still warm from grand central). omg good.

i too will pretend allison's barf was unrelated









kk that sounds







: for all involved.

ff - i think W will be a-ok. he did well with A & J during scrapbooking and he hadn't seen them before. plus, your friend will have your dh's #.

ok i better get busy. work day today.

not 1 but THREE giant boxes arrived yesterday. it is definitely out of control. only grandkids on both sides







i swore i wasn't going to buy the boys anything (and i shouldn't have). but i ordered isaac the curious george tin teaset off magic cabin and it is so stinkin cute. well, maybe i ordered it for myself







: can't wait to play teaparty!!!!!!!!!


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

:







:







: Are you warmed up yet, KK?


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

If I were independently wealthy, I'd buy Juice this shirt for Christmas.









S.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

That's hilarious McSarahB!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

SarahB, that made me smile right to the edges of my ears.

Great news! Allison's yak was a one-shot deal, it appears. Everyone went to school and daycare and I went to work and it was a good day and all was well until 3:15 when Bad News! Allison's teacher called to say she's got a fever of 102. So I went and picked everybody up, and she's super-hot (I don't use thermometers though) and says her head hurts. Otherwise she seems fine. Caitlyn is coughing up a storm, and Ethan is just cranky. The very thought of missing another day in the office causes me to break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately I don't have to be there until noon, and Jack estimates he can be home by 12:30 or 1:00, so if I have to take someone or all of them to the office with me for an hour, I can manage that.

Danile, thanks for checking in like a good stalk-ee







So glad you're on the mend and your description of your house makes me wish we had a tree already. We're going to get ours on Saturday.

Can somebody stop the world for a few days for me? I need WAY more than two weeks before Christmas.








: Lisa, I also vote for mellow flow. Thinking of you, though.








: els and everybuggy. Screamy babe, who has become accustomed to nursing every hour for the last week, thinks the milk bar needst be opened.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Yesterday wasn't actually that bad, except for that one tense hour (salvaged by SOCKS!).










We were supposed to get 1-3" of snow, and I think we got about 10".







Ready to throw the kidlets out into it. I've been keeping warm by shoveling. Double
















Yea for yak-cessation.









I read MDC coffee drive-thru, too.









Have I told y'all about Z's Cinderella obsession lately? UG. I don't like princesses. My mom read them the book *1* time a week ago, and it stuck. I talk to him, and I get, "I'm not Z, I'm Cinderella." T is the prince, naturally. His stuffed animals are "Cinderella babies." His bathrobe is his gown (dunno why he chose that, because there *are* dresses in the dress-up box). His dress-up shoes are, very obviously, important. Please let this never happen to L--I can't deal with princesses.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

ps Why is there no new dancing produce in the new smileys? Wouldn't a dancing potato or radish be adorable?







:


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Well of course KK... if there were more dancing produce... you'd have to have more little ones to add into your siggy. MDC is waiting on you. J/K.









That's quite a bit of snow! I wish we had some! Ours is all gone. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping and praying for a white christmas. I crave white christmases!

I feel like I've gotten some things accomplished, but not much. I vacuumed, did dishes, washed towels (so truly it feels unproductive to me) for the birth, and took care of the kids. I feel like not one of these things is a big thing on my list that I was hoping to get accomplished today. I guess I'm more put off that by tomorrow I will probably have almost all of these things to do over again. It's all I can do to stop myself from running around the house at warp speed scrubbing and washing and sanitizing and leaving nothing left in my path. Would this be nesting?

And I keep logging onto MDC WAY too much and lurking. I feel bored. Maybe I just don't know what to do with myself when I'm not in school and have no doula clients.
















Bear with me mamas.. this is gonna be a bumpy next week and a half.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

Hi all,
It's snowing here!!! Very pretty, but COLD!

KK, I laughed at your sleigh ride story. Wouldn't have been fun in the moment, though.

Danile-yes, sounds a little bit like nesting! I hope you get done what you need to.

mcsarahb-great t-shirt!

SOCKS!!!!! Yes, I got them. And, I don't know if we're revealing yet, so I won't. But, let me just say, they will be cool when they arrive...

We ventured out in the snow to go to LLL today. In about 30 minutes, we're going to a special christmas story time at the library. It's just a mile away, so we'll brave the roads. Santa will also be there, but G is scared of him, so we won't stay for that part.

Lisa-I've been sending lots of positive thoughts your way re: the CT scan. I hope it all works out well.









jstar-I saw that tea set and thought it looked so cute, too! I was more interested in the flowery one, though! May have to wait until A is a little bigger and get one. I had a tea as a child and loved it.

For Xmas: We bought G a little road set from Toys to Grow On. He really wants a race car track, and this is as close as we're getting this year. Our grandparents are quite restrained with gifts for the kiddos, which is good. Haven't received anything yet besides a couple gifts from my mom (smallish) and my grandma gave me money to buy them some things. My dad doesn't really do gifts (still has sent NOTHING for A's birth). We don't know what to get A....she doesn't really need much at this point. And, we really don't need to spend the money.

Better go make a quick dinner before library. Must stop eating peanut butter balls!!!!! (leftover from our little reception on sunday).


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

The allaboutme news of the day is: our sitter is available again and I have two afternoons lined up in the next few weeks!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

jstar--yikes on all the gifties! my dad does practical lands end stuff, my mom only got them an ornament, but dh's family is generous w/ the gifts so I always buy accordingly! I got E a flower tin tea set.....she would love the curious george!

jacquie---mmmm...peanut butter balls. I wonder if that recipe would work w/ sun butter? not like I need them though!







We need a life with two update! Sounds like you're in a groove.

just finally enjoying time sans kiddo on me. hj is growth spurty or something and I'm exhausted and bored and procrastinating working on winkflash christmas gift stuff....


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

sock gift-er proposal OY, the gist of it is wednesday afternoon? yea or nay?

end of drive by post from TC... destructo stefan in da hizzouse...


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Hey, all, I've been fighting with my internet service all night.

Big news to announce via photo album you know where.

First pic- Jan 06
Second pic- May 06

(I promised before-and-after pics way back when and am finally following through)

Then 4 pics from tonight.

Smooches!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! awesome! what a cutie!!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Yippee!!
What a beautiful boy, fernie.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

juice--waiting for you
health and wellness in the air
haiku it again

LOVE that Tshirt

Danile thanks for the







:loooove....

Girls are driving me crazy, Amara is banging the keyboard and Sol keeps asking what all those smilies MEAN.
Now Amara is pulling the laptop screen open toward her, completely flat GRRR


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

morning! i'm stealing some quiet time before my two wake up. doug was crashing around cussing and couldn't find his phone at 6:45. i rememebered it kinda got hidden under a onesie on the couch







: whoops....my fault. so i'm awake but happy to sit by the glow of the tree lights (in total peace and quiet)







:

i'll have to check pics.

peanut butter balls sound GREAT! mmmm

yeah the gifts thing is nuts. i am feeling kind of optimistic though because this year when they asked what we wanted i sent off a long list of ideas--things that isaac IS really interested in and i even got to write 'after all the china/lead scares lately, i really appreciate more natural toys for the boys and especially ebin who is going to put everything in his mouth'. it was a nice opportunity to put that out there without sounding too pushy or snotty (i hope). a landsend package arrived yesterday and i think it is a bunting for ebin (yay!) i'll have to wrap it later....although i was just debating about USING it! babies in buntings have to be the cutest thing









i need to take some photos of the boys and get some kind of card ordered. it might just be a new years card this year. i have a lot of work stuff going on today and tomorrow and i *have* to do some shopping and get stuff mailed. i hate the post office any time of year and really dread it in december.

danile - i feel like that all the time re: cleaning. it takes so much work just to get the basic maintenance stuff done (dishes and towels).

i hear a baby!


----------



## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

squirmy fussy snotty baby- oht

yes, barring major relapse, we're done with the tube.























i'll reply to other stuff tonight.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Oh Fiddle, I am so happy for you! Yay, L!

I REALLY want some peanut butter balls. Right now.







:


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

are we revealing sock info now??????


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

*runs over to OY to look*


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Just checking in like a good stalk-ee...

Semi-frusterated here... Contractions have virtually stopped. *Warning- possibly TMI*-

DH and I DTD this morning and nothing started back up. I know it's not true... but it feels like my body just all of a sudden gave up! I don't get it.







:

Have I always been this grumpy the last weeks of my pregnancies? I hope not..


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Actually, I think the grump and frustration is right on, par for the course...

Come on, Ducito!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'm so tired... so cranky and so hungry for something GOOD.

I'm working on a white chili/soup... hopefully that takes my mind off this grumpiness.














:

You mamas should post pics of your socks... I love hearing about them... but I just could not participate in yet another swap (my ddc was doing quite a few and on top of everything else it was just too much for me.) So I need to live vicariously through YOUR socks.







Plus, with this cold weather... a nice pair of beautiful socks sounds wonderful!


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

socksies: our very own pdx-mmf miss sarah-bee was my sock fairy!!! pretty, pretty, flowery knee-highs arrived in my mailbox.







something i would likely never buy for myself, but i like 'em! especially the flower print! they will keep my lower legs warm and pretty! woohoo!

thank goodness for sock fairies! i will try and post some pix of them later when my children aren't playing with glass jars...







:

reveal!!! reveal!!! reveal!!!

~claudia


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

My socks were given to me by heatherfeather. They are so very cool! I have worn them more than once, and katie asked if she could wear them, too. Heather rocks my socks!! Thank you Heather! She packaged them so lovingly and encased in a beautiful zippered bag, which now holds some of my travel items. Thank you heather! You the bestest!







:







:







:


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Sherri was my wonderful Sock Mama. She gave me warm, EXTREMELY fuzzy, blue-n-purple beauties. They are toasty and oh-so-soft. Thanks, Sherri! I did wear them yesterday on call and they made my preceptor smile.









S.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I think I may have received the very softest socks of them all from our darling Lisa! More luxe than I would ever buy for myself and very much loved. E thanks her for the pretty velvety ribbon they were wrapped in aka the "magic ribbon."


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

I'm the lucky recipient of a Sock Dreams gift certificate from Elsanne! Here is what I ordered yesterday:

http://www.sockdreams.com/_shop/page...ductID_859.php
(in lime/pink)

and

http://www.sockdreams.com/_shop/page...ductID_858.php

in space grass

I'm so very excited to receive these....Thanks Elsanne!!!!!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Very cool!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

This is fun! I'm narrowing it down to see who my socker was...claudia? jstar? fern? ???

Things take forever to get here....*sigh*


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jacqueline* 
http://www.sockdreams.com/_shop/page...ductID_859.php
(in lime/pink)

love these! need these! did you know sock dreams is local pdx? right across ross island bridge, for those familiar with the lay of the land...

~c


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

how do you restrain yourself pdxers???? v. jealous!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Love the sock talk!
I got mine, and love love love them. I find it pretty funny that when I read this:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fiddlefern* 

b. I'm sorry they're sorta practical/boring. That's just the mode I'm in. I threw in something to sweeten the deal.







... I'm just really into gifts that are fair trade and useful right now.

I just thought, "Me! Me! Please, please, ME!" And it happened







: I got some super-awesome super-warm, good for everything socks in my very favorite color ever (purple). They're warm and knee-length, which I wouldn't have thought to buy for myself but am very much enjoying. And in the box were some Lindor chocolates, which are my very favorite indulgence EVAH. I love them so much I've only eaten one so far.

THANKS, BETH!!!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

what on earth is more useful than chocolate!!?? I like the way you think FF!!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

laughup


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Mine were from Nuggets... very soft, very fluffy, very colorful, the right length--ankle (the kids have been trying to steal them off my feet). Very good antidote to winter. (We're due for some *more* snow, apparently.) Where is our Nugget, by the way? (Thank you!)

Danile, getting a big project going at the end of pg will get other big projects going...







(Are you thinking girl?)

This,







:, by the way, is L. Except she doesn't wear pink. And she doesn't wear bows. And she doesn't quite have all her eye teeth.


----------



## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

My socks came from our very own Renae! Despite her being super-busy, I received my wonderful tye-dye socks in the mail pronto, and with a cool family photo to boot! (pun intended). Said photo now graces our fridge. Amazingly, while I have several tye-dye shirts, this is my first pair of socks.







Thanks!

KK- I wanted to let you know that you are my inspiration for the nuts and bolts of raising kids with a bit more freedom from gender roles. As a matter of fact, last week I bought an under-the-bed container to house L's new dress-up collection, an idea I am flat-out stealing from you. For Christmas, I'm looking around thrift shops for things to flesh out what he already has (viking hat, purse, fish hat, dog costume, feather boa). I'm thinking a tutu, a sword, an eyepatch, and a crown are must-haves.

Danile, I'm actually very glad to hear that your body is giving you a break! You need a rest before the big event.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

the dress up box reminds me that SEVERAL boys were wearing princess dresses and crowns and using magic wands when i arrived at school yesterday. and one was emphatically telling the other 'i AM marrying you!'










well i was overindulged in sock love (thereby healing my (small) hurt at not receiving any gifties before)







first a package from claudia arrived and i thought she was my sock mama. it said 'bonus socks' but i thought she was referring to the santa stocking sticker on the package. CUTE CUTE pink n brown polka dot socks (x2!).

THEN my real sock mama package arrived and i thought 'claudia you sneaky devil!'







because i got a package from my name-twin jessica which included the coolest tie-die socks AND a pair of purple fuzzy slipper sockies. i wore the tie die ones with my BRIGHT green cords. and then when i had a migraine i headed straight for the purple ones. i'm sure they contributed to my deep sleep nap that finally cured the headache.

so thank you juice and claudia!!!!!

we went to sarah's lovely pot luck last night -- thanks sarah! that was some yummy soup







:

i christmas shopped ALL day yesterday and am almost done. my goal was to mail stuff today but wrapping is going to have to wait until tonight. then i just need to get a few more small things on friday for our sisters and MIL. i'm hoping MIL will take a bag of pressies back to bakersfield with her on saturday. and i need to get something for doug next week.

and i saw about 9389798374893 things i want for myself


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

crap. need some baby fever advice, mamas. We have an annoying cold thing going through the house and C has a slight fever (100.4)... well HJ felt a little warmy to me overnight and I checked his temp before nap and he was 99.9 and 99.7 --so nothing remarkable except I'm clueless about how much you worry about baby fevers. His ped had said anything over 100.4 they automatically send you to the ER/hosp for abx







under two months old.

When E was tiny (about same age) it turned out to be very necessary as it was the first uti/kidney infection. This time, I'm betting it's just the cold/virus thingamajig. I'm too tired to think straight. wwyd?

Messy day out there. We set out to go to OT, but when the guy in front of me fishtailed I turned around and went home and rescheduled for tomorrow. Slushy, slippery, going to turn icy mess. Came home and put my warm fuzzies on.

off to find some chocolate!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

And my braggy







of the day... C is starting to read/sound words out. Quirky, asynchronous development has it's interesting parts at least!







:


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Checking in for the am....

still here.. still preggo. Exactly one week left till my due date.

Man i'm a grumpy mama this morning. Dominic is having tantrums that I've only ever seen in horror movies. Who stole my sweet little boy?







It's all I can do to just breath in and out and remind myself he's just my baby.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Oh shoot- Heather:

As far as fevers go I'm not super experienced with any under three months of age... but when Dom was a little older he actually hit a fever of 106. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever dealt with. They prepped me on how to deal with seizures and such... and that was the temp WITH tylenol in him. (Which I rarely give him). All the advice I can give is probably not sound medical advice... but it's worked well for me in the past. I would usually turn the warmth up in the house and let him go naked (so he didn't get chilled). Then I'd let him sit in a lukewarm bath and play until the water got pretty cold from sitting. It seemed to always keep it at a borderline temp that I felt comfortable fighting out. Oh, come to think of it- totally off topic- he did have a fever of 100 at 3 months old... it was after his first shots. The 106 was after shots too... that's when I quit giving him shots. He has bad reactions every time... it just took me awhile to leave my mainstream ways then.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

His temp was down a little and leaving him more loosely dressed seemed to help so who knows. Life here is always interesting...

Where is everyone today?? Not making very good baby stalkers I say. I think I shall crown myself Queen Celery.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

LOL, Queen Celery. High Stalkstress.

I'm here, but flying solo with three kids all afternoon and evening as DH has his firm's annual "employee appreciation gala" today. Read: Free cocktails starting at 3pm, events, dinner, cocktails, events, awards, cocktails... until 10pm. I doubt he'll stay that late, but still. And we're still catching up from losing last week and weekend, so we had zero food in the house. I went to work, then hit the store, picked up the girls at school, picked up Ethan at daycare, came home and miraculously the girls disappeared upstairs to their bedroom and played quietly for over an hour







: allowing me to get dinner prepped... now everyone is fed and I just have to get through jammies, stories and bedtime







:

I can't believe I was able to type all that uninterrupted. Oh, wait, I was supposed to be eating


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Glad he's doing a bit better, Heather.

Good luck flying solo whilst the hubby is living it up Juice! I had to reread jstar's post, and thought, who is our other Jessica? I always think of you as juice and forget that you have a real name.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

That's funny. I still hadn't figured it out. I always think of her as Juice too.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

In my senior year of college, I lived in a house with four other people. Senior year, applying to chiro school and all the rest - every now and then you get a phone call from a "real" person. And if someone called our house and asked for Jessica, they might be told, in all seriousness, "Nobody by that name lives here." Our answering maching finally had six names on it, to include Juice and Jessica, just in case.

We had a couple of rough spots nearing bedtime (is anyone else's maybaby all about bedtime avoidance? it's killing me) but I recovered before I lost my voice, and though I do hear thumping from upstairs I hear no screaming or whining, so I'm calling it good for now.

Heath, I'm glad HJ is a little better - fevers in wee ones are kind of scary, though I found them less scary with the third than before. Mostly because with two others, it's more likely to be your garden-variety cold/virus and less something life-threatening. The worry with fevers in babes is that they are so quick to infect the major systems, but if it stays low and you aren't panicking then things are likely fine.







It still suxors to even have to worry about it.

Egads, I can't remember if I told y'all, but we took Ethan to the ped yesterday because he was up screaming in the middle of the night and woke with his eye all crusted shut. I was pretty sure it was an ear infection, and the ped confirmed that. Raging infection in the left ear, minor in the right, causing green mucous to come out of his left eye. I simply could not stay home another day after last week and still pay the rent or payroll at my office. And thus, for the first time, we went the ABX route. He is a different kid today, and while I hate having to make the choice at all, I know for certain that it was the right thing for him and for us in this instance. I'm planning to dose us both with probiotics - my immune system is taxed enough from the last few weeks that I really want to work to make sure we avoid thrush.

jstar, I'm so glad you liked the socks. I felt extra pressure 'cuz I knew your swap history. I loved the tie-dye ones so much I got some for myself and I seriously mourn the time they are in the laundry. I am such a geek.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Cannot WAIT FOR SOCKs!!!

Ummmmm...lesseee...we finally got our tree today! It's that maguey flower thing I told youguys about. HUGE. Almost three meters, which is tall. I don't know how many feet. Lots. Cutting it down was exciting, because the 3 meters in our house now were like not even half of it's height.

So fun fun! Pics as soon as possible.

I had an "arrival" today in one of my vacation houses, the first of the Christmas season, and it went well. Also had belly class, we did veil stuff, super fun.

Heather my advice would be to trust your mama instinct, and follow what you think is the best course of advice. In terms of wwid, I would wait n see and pray.

"Queen Celery"! "High Stalkstress"! love it.


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## emmalola (Apr 25, 2004)

Heather, I agree with elsanne- momma gut is so much better than any advice anyone can give you. Unless, of course, advice comes from wise mommas.









Insomnia. I was asleep by 9:40 tonight, but then sweets had a little temper tantrum with the dog when she wouldn't go to sleep (because she was hungry because we forgot to feed her.







) and his banging around woke me up. Still up, an hour + later. I've put in a load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and made myself some tea, but I'm still not sleepy. Bites, because I know the baby will be up in an hour or so for some nursey nurse and I could have gotten some quality sleep tonight. Instead, I get cranky household. I'm trying so, so hard to forgive him but I'm still pretty pissed about the whole thing. I even took calms forte about an hour ago but that didn't even touch this sleeplessness. hopefully tea will help. for the love of god, please let tea help.

Did I mention that I wore my socks today. so wonderful. Such a sweet, simple treat in the middle of a horrible, awful, no-good day.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

that sounds awful EL. insomnia when you have a nursing babe and know you should be sleeping and WANT to be sleeping and figure that as soon as you DO fall asleep the little one will roust, is one of the worlds great injustices. it ranks up there with late term pregnancy insomnia when you REALLY want to be sleeping as much as possible (and really can't).

so i forgot to write that when we were loading up in our car in front of sarahbee's house the other night isaac says 'is that jonathan's truck?' jonathan being our landscaper. and wow---it was! jonathan is your neighbor, sarah







HILARIOUS that isaac was the one that noticed too. and funnily enough he was back yesterday morning to trim our trees so i told him about it. they finished up the patio and deck project a couple of weeks ago -- i must post pics. it is super wintery out there though and not all that attractive. there isn't any grass left to speak of... just mud! but i am super excited about next spring and summer. i have LOADS of new bed space to fill with plants

so i just made the call to do that big project







eeeps! i'm excited though. i'm doing it! i am going to be crazy next august!!!!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

EL- That sounds horrible. Hoping you have a restful day today to make up for it. Silly puppy... I know how annoying that can be.

Checking in with the celery stalks. Still here... still uncomfortable and still feel like nothings happening ANY time soon..







:


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jstar* 
so i forgot to write that when we were loading up in our car in front of sarahbee's house the other night isaac says 'is that jonathan's truck?' jonathan being our landscaper. and wow---it was! jonathan is your neighbor, sarah







HILARIOUS that isaac was the one that noticed too. and funnily enough he was back yesterday morning to trim our trees so i told him about it.

Ha - that is funneh. We are friends with him. He has given us good advice and recommendations for several of our own projects. Nice guy.

Oooh, emmalola, not fun. I hope you got some sleep.

Today is PACKING day! I'm getting excited. We leave tomorrow morning.

S.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Just saying hi. It's finally stopped snowing, and the mountains look very pink and sparkly. My mom is coming up this afternoon for the express purpose of giving us a date tonight (well, okay, she wants to see the kids).







:

We made a bunch of ornaments out of homemade playdough earlier this week (rolled 'em out, cookie-cuttered them, let them dry), and I think today we'll be able to paint them and glue sparkly crap on them. (Doing homemade stuff is one of my coping strategies for dealing with Xmas, my least favorite holiday-->yes, baggage from growing up.)

We've been dealing with the aftermath of reading the kids a slightly scary version of The Nutcracker (from the library) couple nights ago.







: T has been getting all weepy at bedtime. I could just kick myself. I didn't realize where the book was going until it was too late. I feel bad for him (since he got his sensitivity from me), and I remember having nightmares when I was a kid. Just trying to be more sensitive about it than my parents were...







:

Any baby yet?









Okay, off to the showers.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

No baby yet.

Pretty interesting contractions yesterday after I drank my RRL tea. I tried to do full squats during them to hopefully maximize the room baby has to get better engaged.







I'm going walking this morning at the mall with the boys to try and get my hips to feel a little better and see if that helps aid things along. We'll see. Not AS grumpy... but still pretty grumpy.









Baby will come when baby is ready. Baby will come when baby is ready. Baby will come when baby is ready....


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Calling all MMFs who might know a thing or two about bladder infections in boys.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=811468

Help!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

w/ E's uti's there was always retching, vomiting and loss of appetite as well as fever. Shehated being placed on her back for a diaper change. Ditto someone else's comment about him having a lot of small wet diapers. An ER trip could mean a cath unless you could convince him to do a sterile pee in a cup. Poor little dude!

Could he just have a little infection at the tip? The little guy I used to babysit for (intact) got red from time to time w/ too many bubble baths. iirc, they used to just do a topical ointment?


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Okay, sorry to freak out. I think he's got a fever and not uti or kidney infection. Dh talked me down.









HF - thanks. Your input is also helping me rule out a uti. Jett is doing NONE of the things you say E did when she has hers. I think the owie thing last night was a fluke (he says owie a lot even when he's not really hurt







) and the fever this morning is unrelated.

But poor babe is sooooo lethargic. He is currently lying on DH on our bed dozing in and out of sleep. Gotta keep an eye on the fever and hope it breaks soon. I hear there's a fever and headache bug going around with no other symptoms and that it's only lasting about 24 hours.







:

I am a bit embarrassed to admit I am glad I now have an excuse to pare down our overly busy weekend. Lots of fun stuff but just too much of it, I was beginning to dread it all. Now we just get to stay home and lounge. Terrible of me, I know.

BTW HF, how is HJ doing?

KK, your "glue sparkly crap " comment made me laugh. I was reading along thinking "how fun.... awwwww, niiiiiice...." and then I read that and it became so obvious that you couldn't care less about doing it.







So great of you to indulge the kids anyway.

EL, wishing sleep upon you.









Baaaaaaaabyyyyyyyyy..... where aaaaaarrrrrrre yooooooooou?







(I make this comment with much reluctance, since I know too, too well what it's like to go to 42.5 weeks and have everyone on the planet asking me when this baby is coming. But sorry... I couldn't resist.







)

Els, saw the "miss miss tree" comment on your blog and it's just too adorable. Let's see some pics of that tree or bush or whatever you have there.









Juice, I'm cracking up that you actually go by Juice in real life. That's rad.

Gotta get ready and run out to pick up some tights for Mia to wear with her dress to the Nutcracker today. My mom is taking her and Mia is soooo excited to go. She keeps telling me, 'When you crack a nut in the Nutcracker, he turns into a MAN!" My mom has been reading her the cliff notes.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

How sweet that Mia gets to go to the Nutrcracker! I think I will try to take C next year. Glad Jett seems "only" to have whatever bug is going around. I know I will fret about any similar symptoms if only because of E's history they would want to test for uti since it can be genetic, though much less likely in a boy.

KK--I also giggled at the sparkly crap sentiment. I'm so not in a kids crafty mood, but C totally is. I think we'll make some teacher cards and snowflakes this weekend. I just got back from the grocery store w/ cookie making supplies so our kitchen will be a floury mess tomorrow!

meg---hj is a little rockstar. He is getting fatter and cuter by the day.







I'm totally loving having a baby boy--wasn't sure what the difference would be, but he is definitely my third opposite and quite a little character already.

okay...enough hiding upstairs...much STUFF awaits doing. So much for getting a break when DH is home on the weekends! I just get two hands free to do more is what it seems!

KK--also totally agree w/ your sentiment re socks/oy! Plus E loves to pet my feet when I'm wearing mine which is v. cute.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

it's quiet around here this weekend.

i'm trying to review a booooooooring report in between the normal life stuff going on around me







dh finally vacuumed instead of just complaining about dog hair. MIL left this morning. she does some of the wierdest stuff. she got pink eye a few days ago. it was totally unrelated to our round of pinkeye here because she worked in various doctor's offices for the past 3 weeks and probably picked it up there. anyway she covered every door knob in the house in hand sanitizer before she left. gross. i'm just not into that stuff. and then for being so purportedly germ conscious she does the *worst* stuff in the kitchen with raw chicken. IT MAKES NO SENSE

but we had a little mini-christmas with her last night after isaac's school performance and that was sweet. his performance was funny. he had a complete stage fright freakout before we left. he was perfectly fine once he was with his class (as expected). it was a crazy scene though because they did the whole school together (ages 1 through 13) in one night, whereas before they would break it out into different evenings. i can see why the staff wanted to compress this to get it over with but there was a pot-luck following and it was *mayhem*

aww poor fever-y jett. i hope he feels better.

the last weeks of pregnancy are the longest weeks ever ever ever. i think the mass of the belly causes a warp in the time-space continuum


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Hi goils!

Meg said, "rad".
And Meg, you saying "that tree or bush or whatever you have there" made me laugh. It's a FLOWER, ffs. A big ol flower that looks, well, nothing like a flower. It's coming along--we're putting decorations on it today.
How is Jett feeling now? Yay for laying low when you really want to. I don't have hardly any Christmas plans at all--one small kid party and a singalong (not the ones here in my house with Viet lolol) and was almost wishing I had more--your post made me be thankful for what is.

Ducette--thinking about you! Sending some warm wishes for a hard time in one's life...think you're gonna have you a niiice christmas present here real soon...

heather indeed hj is a total rock star! He has really plumped up just in these last few weeks! He is already smiling, I can't believe it! Love the santa pic.

kk--you inspired me to do some sparkly glitter carp! I just bought me some balls (needed to do that anyway), am gon' glitter 'em right up.

EL how is the day going, post-insomniac night?

Having afternoon coffee here, girls are happily engaged coloring and singing, it's too cute. Amara is singing and moving things around, Sol is coloring. I swear Amara is going to be musically talented. I sang to get her out during labor, and she seems to be really aurally tuned in.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Had a *rad* day here, today. Went shopping with some friends, drank coffee, shopped, exchanged Christmas ornaments, giggled, drank more coffee, had peaceful lunch, giggled. ahhhh. Pure Bliss, I say.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

mamameg, I hope Jett gets better very soon. Sarah got sent home from school a month or so ago with a fever and headache. Pretty harmless as far as a virus goes, IMO. Hope its just something similar.

Breaking out the hot glue gun with the girls tomorrow to make ornaments for their teachers. Wish me luck. I feel your pain, KK!

Sarah, safe travels, mama! Hope you enjoy your trip!

speaking of trips, when you leaving on yours, Claudia?

Ducette, hang in there, mama. Relish these last days of feeling the babe inside you as much as possible. I miss that feeling so much.

Hello to everyone else, gotta run!

Smooches!


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Hey, all. Jstar- congrats on accepting the contract. That's big.

I have had the worst day (but L's day has been worse). OY.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Dudes, Juice's kids totally breathed on my kids. L barfed Fri. morning, and now he has the runs. L has barfed 3x in the last 18 hrs. I feel icky (but of course, I'm completely functional, because on a scale of 1-barf, it's not major yet).

Re sparkly crap... it's not that I don't give a crap, it's just that I'm just not into everything looking perfect.







I'm not into decorating, esp. for holidays. I just want the kids to have fun and for *their* experience of Christmas to be better than mine was.

Hope Jett's doing better today. Ug on kids being sick.


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *fiddlefern* 

I have had the worst day (but L's day has been worse). OY.

I saw OY and I can't respond now except here to say BIG big HUGS.








I am amazed that you didn't throttle someone, as I am sure I would have. How is L today?

And before I forget, SOCKS! I was given two pairs of awesome socks by Jacqueline - one kneehigh Christmas themed, and one soft fuzzy pet-able pair in pink. I got mine early and since they were the only package that has come in the mail that I opened right away (all the others have gone under the tree which is driving both Eleanor and I to distraction), Eleanor was as excited as I was. In fact, we had a little game of stealing the socks from each other all day on the day they arrived. She would grab them and run, I would chase, and then give up, only to steal them when she wasn't looking...and so on. Anyway, I love them! Totaly lovely and much appreciated. Thank you for thinking of me and especially for getting me holiday socks I can wear to work!

Oh, and jstar - did you take the contract?


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

ff---hugest hugs to you and L. man oh man.

our day was craptastic, but thankfully not in the way kk's has probably been.

Thanks to the lovely little ice show overnight, we lost power early this morning and left the house when it got to cold to go to not one but two malls! On one of the last weekends of holiday shopping! joy!







Thankfully hj ate okay out of the house which he usually doesn't. I'm all for NIP, but sooooo glad the JC Penney had a nice lounge area off the ladies restroom w/ cozy couch and recliner to nurse him in. We finally got back home a little before 4pm....not how I wanted to spend my day! The to do list sure hasn't been done in my absence. useless cat!

I'm fried from all the holiday cheer we experienced today







: and need to get something accomplished before the fussy baby hour sets in...


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Still here, still preggo...

As my cousin says... "what's up spaghetti sauce?" The most retarded family joke ever.
















I too hate christmas shopping and have procrastinated waiting for the money before I could start. Now I am worried the stuff I need to get online won't make it in time. Bleh... oh well.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I had kind of an interesting day...sort of...the morning was spent around the house with Viet's brother's children (ages 9 and 7) and my girls, cooking and going for a walk and etc., then I took the girls to a holiday party hosted at a little kid from playgroup's house. It has a koi pond, large and round, in the yard and a pool, neither with anything to hold back curious kids. So, you see where I'm going with this, Sol fell in







: the one least likely (there were 4 1.5 y.o. there). Chaos reigned in elsanne's world.
Then I received a text msg from Viet that he was out at flamenco dude's house. Flamenco Dude is Viet's bff. Best Friend Forever. Crazy wild fun Sevillean. I went out there and we roasted, CHESTNUTS, on an OPEN FIRE, (how's that for Christmas!), then they started moving the hose back and forth like a jumping rope, and Sol and Flam. Dude's wife and I start jumping, and my little munchkin actually was jumping right over it, not consecutively, but running through and jumping! Seemed like such a big girl thing to be doing. Took her a while to get it.

Came home early with only little sleeper Amara, and am now enjoying some solo time while Sol n Viet stayed to play--although I think they're home now! Just heard a door.
Well, that wouldn't be a very long "alone stint" but I guess it's better than nuthin'!
Yup, they're home. *sigh*


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

talked to fernie on the phone briefly this afternoon and she and her boys might come over tomorrow (fingers crossed) and play and so she and i can catch up and she can get some mmf love. she sounded exasperated. but good.

we leave on our trip this coming saturday. much to do, much to do. actually not that much, but it feels like a lot. my parents arrive late thurs night and we are doing christmas on friday morning so we can take down our tree late fri and then we leave on the plane mid morning saturday. crazy. i can't believe we are going to hawaii!!! so excited and nervous and excited and nervous and excited. hoping our cats don't claw our couch and carpet to death while we are gone. oh well, they are just couch and carpet, right? but seriously, i think bill will kill the little cat if he finds further damage when we get home. or at least throw her outside to fend for herself.

ok, going to go chill with my cuppa tea. or warm up, as the case may be.

~claudia


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

L is doin' all right. He was in a pretty good mood today except when he had his bath and his owie had to be cleaned.

Elsanne- I hope you get that alone time soon.









Claudia- the excitement and anticipation are part of the gift of going, huh? That's how I always feel about a fun vacation.

Danile- maybe you'll have a Christmas baby!







:. Hope the lil one comes before that, for your sanity.









HF- shopping with kiddos is never my idea of fun, either.

Lisa- how is W's 10 month old buddy doing?

KK- may the sickies go away FAST.

My house is so messy right now and I really can't get up the energy to clean it. Morgen, Morgen, nur nicht huete, sagen all die faule laute (tomorrow, tomorrow, not today, that's what lazy people say).


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i always get crazy stressed before i go on a trip trying to remember everything i need to do. and then SOOO excited when i get on the plane














it will be fun!! and warm!! and sunnnnnny!!!!!

alone time is so sweet. the boys went down easily tonight after we went to a christmas cocktail party. isaac was pooped and i had my doubts that ebin was going to sleep because he was wide awake and babbling when i put him in his crib. but no crying and all went quiet! sweet baby! he had taken a brief nap at the extremely loud party on doug's lap. it was a party weekend - we went to a cocktail party last night too. that one involved a babysitter and was a nice night out!

ebin's left top tooth broke through! he did a face plant 2 nights ago (from sitting up on the rug). and he really wailed. and then yesterday i noticed the TOOTH. and i don't why but i am convinced he broke the tooth through from the fall









i am really looking forward to a 'homey' day tomorrow. mucho laundrio

fernie - i just had to go read OY and will respond later. that's awful









hf - fussy baby hour is hard. and always at the end of the day when mama is tired! i think they get so overstimulated trying to process everything going on in the big wide world. and that sucks about the power (and the useless cat)









i hope the barfies at KK's end quickly! i'm curious what was 'bad' about christmases of your youth (if you want to share). i don't want to make the same mistakes here







: i am really into christmas. not crazy into it...but i love it/enjoy it. i looooooove sharing it with kids now. i bought this christmas book and have been reading it with isaac and it has some pretty cute stories.

ok. must go to bed. must put sheets on bed before i can even get in it









i just need an excuse to use this







:







:







:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

That's a placenta, right? Where else but on MDC would a smilie represent a placenta?

kk--also thinking about the barfies at your house. Hope today dawns brighter.

jstar nice work on gittin' them babies down at your house.

Claudia--enjoy your vacay! Hawaii is magnificent.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

KK - noooo!!! Pukies Begone!

TC, I'm living vicariously through you. Never been to Hawaii but it sure sounds good right now







: Sounds like a busy, crazy week, but will be fun and worth it and FUN!

HF I hear you on the useless animals. Our dogs so totally do not pull their own weight.

Danile, hoping things move along soon (though also knowing that the babe comes when the babe is ready... ) I am convinced that the last month of pregnancy exists only to make one really ready to be done. Like, "bring on the birth, anything is better than being pregnant again tomorrow"









Ethan just brought be a baby doll and demanded that I kiss it







:

I'm gearing up for four very, very busy days in the office and then... SEVENTEEN days off. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get caught up on the laundry. Oh, wait - probably not







:


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Meg- 17 days off sounds nice. And thanks for the encouragement. You're comment made me laugh hard, that felt good.

TC- I hope everything goes off without a hitch for ya! Vacations abroad are so fun! (Though I may admit I'm a little jealous you'll be in Hawaii...









Still pregnant. Really crampy the last three days. Possible TMI...
But I can't figure out if it's my bowels cramping... or if it's cramping that's DOING something. Hopefully the latter. I'm a grumpy grump this morning. The kids took FOREVER going to bed last night... (I was on my LAST nerve) and then decided to wake up before dawn this morning!







: I'm one exhausted girl as it is...

Did I mention Dom is no longer taking naps? I was hoping that would wait until after postpartum... no such luck.







: Whatcha gonna do? Kids- gotta love em!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Danile--Dom was taking naps? Sol's been out of napville for about 2 years! every so often, though...I think Sol doesn't sleep enough compared to other kids but she's not grouchy or otherwise failing to thrive. She sleeps 10 hrs at night and that's IT.

Sounds like imminent baby to me, the cramping bowels...

Meg would LOVE 17 days off, I know. Juice will enjoy hers mightily too.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

OH brother... Sorry Juice and Meg!


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

So we've pulled Annie out of her daycare this week. No word on the CT scan (there was some insurance issue and now we are waiting for HMO authorization), but she STILL has an ear infection that keeps coming back. She is on her third antibiotic. They work while she is taking them but the dang infection comes back as soon as she finishes the course. Snotty, goopy eyed, doesn't sleep, cranky baby. My mom is home with her this week and then Alison will be with her the next two. I don't know what is up with this kid. We're considering craniosacral therapy - any thoughts?

Danile - Eleanor takes naps most everyday. She still seems to need it even if it is just quiet time in her room. Sounds like Dom has just naturally moved on, but I recommend the idea of having the big kid spend some down time in their room everyday. It has really helped us on the days when Eleanor is squirrelly and the babe is fussing.

TC - WHooWHOO! Hawaii is ready for you!

No more bar flies for KK and family, perty puuuuuleeeeezzze.

Fernitude- I am so glad that L is doing okay even though his stitches are ouchie in the bath. Eleanor always comments if she has a tiny scratch and it's bath time "Don't touch it wet! It hurts!"

Els, does Sol know how to swim? The hose jump rope sounds like fun! I am thinking we might have to go buy chestnuts to be like you. My mom paid to repair our fireplace for Christmas. I am so looking forward to a fire but it has been a Spare the Air day (no fires, use public transit, etc.) ever since it was ready to go. It's supposed to be okay tonight so &#8230;..Mmmmm, chestnuts.

KK, you got me thinking. I am curious about the Christmas celebrating that we each do (more or less). To what degree do you all like to celebrate? Anyone not celebrate much or at all?

I am feeling more and more into it. I like the decorations, the picking of presents, and the hubbub so much more this year than ever before. I think because my mom is here and Ellie is so cute about Santa and the like. I am feeling more "in the spirit" when I am normally more Quaker about it (it really is just another day, and it really is sacrilegious to go so over the top). I think in large part it is because Alison and I are not buying each other much, and getting the girls one thing each, so it feels less hectic and has made more room in my mind and heart for things like baking cookies, singing carols, and buying eggnog.








s for the mmf, my online bff


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Lisa-

I wish that would work with Dom. He kind of shares our room at the moment. We have three bedrooms, including ours. Isaac and him were supposed to share a room, but Dom refuses to sleep in there. (His night terrors were going on like 10-12 times a night... it was awful.) So we brought him into our bed and room and it was working perfectly. Normally he's my very cautious little guy... so I can trust him to stay away from pretty much everything. But the other day when I laid him down and told him he didn't have to sleep, but just do "quiet time" he came out about twenty minutes later telling me,

"Mommy... I cut myself."

He was holding a pair of toenail clippers and apparently had tried to trim his toenails.








So no more of that for me. I have been instituting a version of quiet time. Since I no longer can take a nap I have him watch a movie of his choice, color, practice writing his alphabet or paint. It's worked semi-okay. Sometimes he just can't contain his volume levels and Isaac gets woken up... but my main problem is just being tired. Eh... these days will pass... Maybe I just needed to vent about it. I just wasn't expecting it since he's always been my super cuddly complacent baby. I guess I should get used to him growing up and changing on me...









Sorry about the ear infections. THose really suck! Have you tried garlic drops for her ears? I have a friend who said they worked wonders. Other than that I'm not much help....


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Mia dropped her nap around age 2 (except for Daddy on the weekend















but in the past few weeks, she has been requesting to nap. But the problem is she is in school from 11:15-2:50, so taking a nap after 3 PM isn't ideal. But if she's tired I will let her nap, but I watch the time and don't let her sleep as long as she would probably like to. The fact that she requests naps at all is shocking - she was sooooooooo hard to get to take a nap as a baby. She took 95% of her naps on me in the sling.

Mia gets to skip school today because we are going to the dentist! I have a cleaning and she will sit on my lap during it and watch. Then she will have a chance to sit in the chair and the hygienist will count her teeth and maybe even give a quick polish if Mia is okay with. Wish us luck - I am talking up the "prize" at the end of it all.









Gotta run.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Quick word here...

L is feeling a lot better (no barfies), but very droopy. I'm sure she's just pooped.

Danile... supposedly, the 2 main causes of night terrors are being over tired and being overheated. T tried to drop his nap around the time Z was born, and dh wanted to go with it. Night terrors ensued, though it took us a while to get the connection. I worked harder at the nap, it came back, and the NTs went away. You might try it... One thing that worked well was reading to him lying down (him lying down, me lying down, often nursing newborn Z side-lying), 2-3 books to get him settled down. Then I was very firm that we needed to be still, close our eyes for 10 minutes. Usually, we both ended up sleeping. I'd creep away at some point. Also, making sure he was really tired beforehand helped (riding his trike around the block, going to the playground, etc). Last tip: push the time back. I had him napping from 3-5 pm when he was 3, and no, it didn't make bedtime difficult. One last, LAST tip... if I was desperate, I'd stick him in the stroller (~2-3 pm) and go for a long walk. (If in winter, bundled up, with a blanket around him.) He'd fall asleep, I'd get exercise, and then I'd bring the stroller inside (and remove the blanket, unzip his coat, remove mittens, etc). The other NT tip: no socks on the feet, light covers.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

KK- be back to respond lengthily later... looks like Dom's going to let me nap today.

On another quick note- I just remembered my OY login and caught up with stuff since I first joined the group! I had over 330 messages to go through! Yikes! And can I just say I'm sorry for being so pigheaded and ignorant in my comments as I truly did not know people's full situations until went through all of those. A mama can't really help if she doesn't really know though! So I owe all of you major hugs! Reading through... I feel bad for sniffling about my life when all of you have had much bigger, harder struggles going on in your lives. I truly don't know what I would do without you mamas and I wish I could've been there more for all of you!






















:


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

isaac dropped his nap at the end of my pregnancy and very definitely once ebin arrived. he will occasionally nap and i *think* he still naps routinely at school. he sleeps about 12 hours at night.

that really sucks about the ear infection







i would do the craniosacral therapy under the 'wouldn't hurt and would hopefully help!' assumption

i feel pretty 'in the spirit' with christmas. i love decorating and kind of 'changing' the house a bit for a few weeks. we have the tree and strung up some lights and hung our stockings on a bookcase (no mantel). in line with my 'deer' love i took some white fleece and pinecones, two deer, and an old fashioned father christmas to make a winter scene on top of another bookcase







on our tv armoire i have a creche. i just did the limited version of jesus, mary, joseph, the cow, donkey and a lamb







we're looking forward to a mellow christmas here without family and focused on lounging at home with the kids. doug even agreed to go to church!!!!!! minor miracle. we're going to try a big quaker church by reed college which looks far more lively than the austere one by our house.

i want to make some sugar cookies and decorate them with isaac but that will have to wait until friday. today i'm on a mission to sew a purse for a friend's bday. deadline thursday. eeek. i'm copying an old one so it isn't like following a pattern.

what other traditions do people have?? in my dad's household they opened all presents christmas eve. i think probably because christmas morning they went to mass. in my house growing up we got to pick one present out to open christmas eve so we'll do that with our kids. (do most people do that? i think so but have no idea)

i don't get too frazzled with buying presents and stuff. we buy limited stuff for our parents, sisters and a couple of kid-friends. i think it is pretty fun. i wish i had the time to make more gifts but not this year. the whole 'culture of christmas' is consumerist and blah blah but i think it is a tradition in *most* cultures around the world to have a day for gift giving. eg. in pakistan everyone gave gifts for eid. i had isaac help me pick out a 'special present' for ebin so we could emphasise the GIVING part







cute.

last night i started sewing this for fun

babe needs some mama


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

jstar--that is adorable! Hillary is really sweet. I made one of her kitties way back when C was a babe and sent her a pic and she replied kindly.

Lisa--do you have a chiro? My girls ear woes have always been helped by getting adjusted. No experience w/ craniosacral though---I think claudia does though, but she's about ready to get lei'd so...

My house is a disaster....must. go. clean. Girls playing sweetly in the pop-up school bus. Need to bottle moments like this so I can stress less about the messy house.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Yeah, my house is a mess, too.







:

We open presents Christmas morning (though we've resurrected a tradition my mom had when she was a kid; the kids get to open one book each Christmas Eve night). I did my blog thing...







: One thing I will add is that we have a homemade wreath on our door that we reuse every year, we have our odd tree, and nearly all of our tree decorations are homemade. A few paper snowflakes on the windows, and that's it.

Danile, hope my post above doesn't sound like a lecture.







: I was short on time, and T's NTs were so horrible--if anything I said helps and I can spare you the awfulness of it...(otherwise, just disregard!)

Lisa, I'd do whatever it takes to get rid of the EI. I have no suggestions, just







s.

I live vicariously through Elsanne's posts.







(and maybe TC will take me in her suitcase???)


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

No KK! Of course I appreciate the advice! I'd actually never heard that before. While the heat thing makes sense... he doesn't seem to get overheated at that point. I'll explain some of the situation...

I was pretty mainstream when I had Dom and though I couldn't stand letting him cry it out as a newborn (we coslept without me knowing what that was) and we breastfed. I figured it was best for him anyways as there was a lot of changes going on at that time for us. A couple of moves, etc. When we got settled into a new place I started getting a lot of pressure from people to move him out of our bed as I was pregnant again. At 10 months we stuck him in a crib and tried the crying it out method.







It was horrible. He cried for three hours, puked, etc. and only seemed to get more agitated if I went in to verbally comfort him. I ended up outside his door crying into the carpet wanting to be with him. Sadly, this didn't wake me up. We kept trying, thinking that is was "for the best" and such... Shortly after his night terrors began... and have never stopped. When he was 2 1/2 I took him to a psychiatrist and she discussed a bunch of things with us. At the end she suggested we bring him back into our bed (like he was requesting) because he was obviously deriving some sort of psychological comfort from it. That was when his night terrors went from 10-12 times a night to maybe 1-2 if he had them. Now they consist mostly of weird things we have no idea what he's upset about. He'll sometimes yell out in the middle of them, "NO!!! NOT THE CHOCOLATE!!!!" or "I WANT TO MEET THE LADY!!!" and then sob uncontrollably in his sleep. He'll thrash and hit and kick and roll around... sometimes we can talk him out of it or sooth him with calm rubbing on his back and such... but other times it only makes him more upset...

Sorry for the long vent... maybe that helps? I just have no idea how to stop them. We figured we'd let him stay in our room if that's what works and move him into Isaac's when he's comfortable... but the room is getting a little cramped..


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Ug, that sounds awful. Poor Dom, poor Mama.







Check this out... there's a TON of info, advice, and opinions about NTs there (some I think is nutty, like the dipping the feet in cold water thing). Maybe in the pages and pages of stuff, you'll find something which helps (that's where I got the info that helped us help T). T is still a weird sleeper. He sleeps very heavily (and still wears pull-ups as a result), still often talks in his sleep, still has the occasion bad night (now obviously a bad dream), esp. if he's over-tired.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled May Mamas...


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

lisa: craniosacral and chiropractic, both. the craniosacral for general wellbeing stuff and the chiropractic for realigning the ear/sinus fluid system. do you have a good chiro for ped stuff? try www.icpa4kids.org for a ped chiro suggestion.

HF: lei'd.







:







:
















ducette: thinking of you, mama. babe will come when babe is ready, babe will come when babe is ready, babe will come when babe is ready... breathe...

coffee is my friend today.









~claudia


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Coffee is my friend today, too







:









Lisa, I'd give a big thumbs-up to craniosacral work, but I'd give a bigger thumbs-up to a chiropractic adjustment. The icpa link TC mentioned is a great place to start. There are lots of great docs who are fantastic with kids who are NOT on that list, though, too. I'm not certified by the icpa, but I do see a lot of kids. And our experience with ear infections has been really good - any time one of my kids has complained of ear pain, I've adjusted them and never heard another word about it. The notable exception being this recent one of Ethan's, but I figure he couldn't tell me when it *started* hurting, so I didn't catch it fast enough. I'm checking his neck every day right now, so hopefully no recurrence when the abx are done... time will tell.

Danile,







to you and your sweet boy. That sounds really hard for everyone. It sounds like you're really working to meet his needs - I hope it gets easier soon! FWIW, Caitlyn was always a terrible sleeper and would wake up screaming in the night, sometimes every 45 minutes all. night. long. and she was always in our bed. She finally started sleeping through when she was about 4. She still cries out in her sleep from time to time, but nothing like it was.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Thanks Juice for the comfort!

Still here mamas... off to run some errands and pay some bills I forgot to pay before they get disconnected!
















More crampity cramp cramps... and nothin... bleh...


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

how long was your last labor? this one could be reallllly short. i would be scared how short a 3rd would be for me







you probably wrote this before but are you doing a water birth? were your other births homebirths??

here's a dumb question for you homebirthers. i couldn't wrap my head around homebirthing because of the intense fear of the pain of tearing without some lidocaine. do mw's carry lidocaine? i think lidocaine saved my life. and percocet. the other reason i couldn't ever homebirth.









NTs sound scary. hopefully he will grow out of it completely. isaac has run of the mill nightmares once in a while

i finished the purse i was making







: mega relief. (ebin was a very good napper yesterday thankfully!) then i did the quickest cursory housecleaning before doug got home (although there was a mountain of dishes). i definitely miss having a housecleaner. A LOT. i also wish i could employ someone to put away the laundry









i'm drinking my 'fafee' too. ebin hadn't even woken up yet when i left this morning and they were JACKHAMMERING outside. we got notice they're shutting our water off for 8 hours today. i checked on him and the blanket was kind of on his face--eek. but he was breathing. so i guess jackhammering is pretty soothing to babies


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Any purse pictures, Jstar? I love how many projects you have...I seem to not manage any even though I love to sew.

Danile - Happy errand running pre-labor. I hope you are comfortable and feeling well cared for.

On Annie's head: We have a CT scan scheduled for Thursday morning. Should I try to squeeze in chiro/craniosacral before the scan (tomoorow) or after (Friday or next week)? I don't want to over-trigger her intolerance for people-other-than-family-members, but if it will help...


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

lisa: i don't think you should worry about getting her into the chiro before the scan. if they have an opening, take her. but if this will be a new thing for her, take her when you can. talk to allison and make sure both of you come up with your questions that need to be answered by the chiro while you are there (i'm sure you will have some, at least. i know i did, and i was already a convert to chiro for babies.) a good chiro for babies will do appointments at the babe's pace and not force anything. peaceful vibes for the scan...

i'm getting nervous about traveling with two small people. probably nothing, but nervous nonetheless...

~c


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

so far isaac has been SO excited to travel on an airplane that he has been very well-behaved. it is the smaller squirmy one that can be a little less excited about looking out the window, etc. do you need a portable dvd player to take? that's been great for isaac.

i can take purse pics


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Claudia--our girls surprised us on our trip to AZ last fall. At least on the flight there you'll have the novelty of it. E's fave toy was the plastic drink cup full of ice cubes...well I chewed those up quick and let her play with the empty...

lisa---most of E's and HJ's adjustments at the chiro are done laying on my belly which certainly increases their comfort level. ditto claudia about asking questions. Ours always reassures and demonstrates for me how much pressure she is using or what the arthrostim feels like, etc. Will be thinking of your crew on Thursday!

Oh what a day. Some days are good; others I just feel outnumbered--thinking of meg's sig---where *did* all these kids come from?? Have to run to grocery store after nap--that's always fun to do at the end of the day.







I think I need to go raid the stash of holiday candy...


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Outnumbered. That's it exactly. Yesterday was one of those days and then this morning was coo coo too.

Can I admit to you all that chiro for kids completely freaks me out.?







Irrational, I know, but I just can't get over it.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

meg: have you seen this list of articles linked from kellymom about chiropractic and craniosacral work with babies? not trying to convince you to not freak out about it, just providing more info. and curious... what specifically about chiropractic for babies concerns you? it's vastly different from most chiropractic manipulation done on adults, and with babies, it focuses mostly on supporting the baby's body in a way that the babe can move and make any adjustments it needs on its own. it's truly amazing to watch with a practiced chiropractor.

off to pick up my new glasses... yay! well, new prescription in my old frames that i love! double yay!

~claudia


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

that's interesting tc about chiro and babies...one of my best buds is a chiro (*ahem*) and I felt similar to Meg about it--just, nervous-- I didn't know the techniques would differ, which is huge for my perceived fears about it. This, from a girl who would be a chiro-slut if she could. Meaning, go as often as possible, selling my body to do so.

It's one of those days where you let the baby go crazy in the fridge because it gives you 2.5 minutes to yourself online...


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I think that may be why my chiro is always asking if it's okay with me if someone watches while my kiddos get adjusted. All three of them really love our chiro and C even asks to go if she hasn't been in a while.

I totally need to meld with that wacky energy smiley. Need some of that in the worst way. Or keeping with the current discussion topic....at least I have a chiro appt on Friday!

Ferny--how are things? thinking of you and your guys!


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

fernie came over with her 2 little guys yesterday and we had a lovely time catching up and boys playing. W and stefan look like little twins with their blond hair and blue eyes. we got a few cute pics, too. will try to post them later OY, in between my dinner/evening/packing madness.

~c


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Jstar-

You're silly. No lidocaine at homebirths? That would suck! I would never allow myself to be stitched up without lidocaine! That's actually a common misconception I've heard though. My midwife always laughs and says, "Oh- you thought natural birth meant no meds for stitches?! And you still came? Wow are you brave!"







It's there in case you tear... but not everyone needs it...

I hope this is a faster labor... contractions still coming about every ten minutes... but no real progress being made it feels like. I walked for hours and now my feet are sore. I'm going to rest and relax for the rest of the night. Dom's birth was a hospital birth with just about every intervention in the book... I was pretty mainstream then and thought that was how it was supposed to be. Isaac was an educational experience for us. I took Bradley classes that time and switched to a midwife (our current midwife) at 38 weeks after previously interviewing her the month before. He was born at a birth center. This will be our first homebirth and I'm very excited. It's a new thrilling experience, but I can't imagine what could be better.







Maybe that's why I'm getting anxious... that and this pelvic bone that feels broken...







:


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jstar* 
here's a dumb question for you homebirthers. i couldn't wrap my head around homebirthing because of the intense fear of the pain of tearing without some lidocaine. do mw's carry lidocaine? i think lidocaine saved my life. and percocet. the other reason i couldn't ever homebirth.









Hey jess-like danile said, yeah, we get lidocaine. And, I used it both times! I tore a bit and because of the location of the tear, my mw offered to do stitches. In TX, no big deal, but I guess here in CO it's not legal for mws to do stitches....so it's not something she talks about (shhhh....). My mw here actually offered to use that glue stuff on the tear, but since we have stairs and a 3-year-old, I just went with the old fashioned stitches. She also tried topical lidocaine, and that just wasn't doing it. Way too ouchy. So I got the big ol' shots. It's funny....once I have the baby I don't care what kind of drugs I injest (within reason, of course). I took Advil for after pains right away (along with herbal stuff) Gee, maybe I should write out my birth story for Miss A since I have so much to say about it!!!!!

danile-you will be able to handle this labor at home. The pelvic pain increased for me while pg with Annie, too, and cx were a bit tougher than with G, but it was so much shorter, so it evened out.

Re: the chirorpractic convo: I'm a believer in it as well, but have come to realize the type of adjustment makes a huge difference. Our chiro in TX was so gentle with her adjustments and dh and I (and G) responded so well to them. Here, we have a pretty rough dude and he actually inflamed dh's neck so much last time that we aren't going back. I do need an adjustment, though, and I might have found a more gentle person. Just not a lot of choice out here in the "boonies." But, I'm open to about anything that's not mainstream. It doesn't take much to convince me to try alternative therapies.

TC-have an awesome trip! I am jealous (but in a healthy way







) I just love the beach and water and would love a trip right now. G was an excellent traveler and we took several airplane trips with him. Traveling with two would be a bit more daunting, but they might surprise you. We will be doing a car trip with two in January to Phoenix, so pass on any pointers you learn!

Alas, we found out today that we need to spend about $2600 on car repairs for the car we just got (used) in March! Ouchie wah wah!!!! This is just after we got the mw paid for. We have no savings so we must charge it and hope we can pay it off in at least 5-6 months so the interest doesn't kill us. We don't usually get a tax refund since dh is considered self-employed for purposes of income tax (and that self-employment tax is a doozie). So, it just means living close to the bone again for the next while, what else is new. I'm just so tired of it, mamas. I'm not even talking about wanting grand things....we just want to go out to eat every so often. That's it.

Ah well, dh is trying to work out some financial improvements with the church situation, but we don't know when that will come to fruition.

Didn't mean to be such a downer. See how much I need a trip to the beach, though!!!!

On the good side, I got my socks in the mail today and they are beautiful. Also, talked to a preschool about G attending beginning in the summer, but they do have openings for spring. Of course, with having to pay off car repair, we may have to wait until summer. But, it was hopeful. Most preschools here have super long waiting lists. And, we made some sugar cookie dough and will cut out cookies tomorrow!

Simple pleasures...gotta be thankful for those.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

oy, photos of fernie-turbos...

~c


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Danile, contrax every 10 minutes? I'd better go light a candle....







irl candle lit, too. Re: Dom- we all do the best we can with what we know. I have known many kids who seemed to pass through CIO unscathed- every kid and every fam is diff, and he knows he is loved, and you are an awesome mama! Thanks for trusting us with your story.

Lisa- I will be thinking of your fam on Thursday!

Jacq- I hear you on living tightly. I've been rebelling against the budget recently







:

OK, it's after 11 and I haven't even STARTED on my letter of interest for being an Oregon Intervention System trainer (behavior training- maybe I should enroll my fil in a class







). Plus my supervisor wants a list of which employees have their CPR & when- it's gonna be a late night!

Last night I slept 11 hours- fell asleep at 7:45.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Yes also I meant to comment on Danile's CIO story...I am so sad for you that that happened the way it did, you were doing what you thought to be for the best. Consider now, if he had been child #7 of 8 or something similar, cio would be more of a reality due to circumstances, and he'll survive with only a few visits to the therapist as an adult (wry attempt at humor). I dunno, I'm just trying to make you feel better and I totally think it's candle-lighting time now too!
How are you feeling today?

Jacq I am so glad you got your socks so fast! Am I the lone sock un-recipient? Could be a while, around here... *sigh*....if I were a card-counter (as in playing cards) I'd have figured out who my socker was. Not too many free brain cells to use in that occupation at the moment, however.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

els--when do we get to see a pic of the miss-miss tree? hope your feet are cozy soon!

C is home from school w/ a fever today. She had one yesterday morning too, but it went away by the end of the day and now it's back. She's complaining of ear pain, but that goes away too. Snot be gone! I'm sick of this cold. Poor HJ is sounding a little snuffly too. gah.

thinking of the ducettes! baby soon I think! I'm guessing friday??


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Heather, I'll try to get some pix of the miss-miss tree very soon! It has graduated to kiss-miss tree now.
Yesterday we made a big paper chain and put it on, so I think the decorating is as complete as it's going to get. That's what I've been waiting for to take it's photo.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Thinking of you, Ducette. I think your time is very very near! Can't wait to hear about the arrival of the newest Ducette!









Christmas tradtions here....Usually we'll bake cookies on Christmas eve day to put out for Santa. We usually go to church on Eve, come home and have dinner. Usually some sort of steak and usually shrimp cocktail. Then we give the girls their present from us which is always matching Christmas pajamas. We read special Christmas stories and leave cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer. Off to bed. In the morning, we wake up, and open presents, and I usually make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. This year we'll probably go to my sil's family's house for dinner on Christmas day, and then maybe head up to my IL's for dessert or something. My IL's are not planners at all, so no mention has been made of any holiday plans.







We'll probably find out about five minutes before they happen. There is so much unresolved drama, that the IL"s will probably stagger visits from certain children so as not to ruffle feathers.







Overall, I love our eve and morning traditions, it's the rest of it that is unfestive. Dh is working alot on eve and day this year, so that will make things a lot less predictable, too.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Checkin in.

Thanks for the lit candles... I'm sure they're helping somehow! Still here... contractions picked up last night and then tapered again. I woke up this morning fairly moist... I am thinking it might possibly be part of my plug as I haven't had any more leaks in the last fifteen minutes ... so not my BOW. I'm going to go get some fresh pineapple and walk a little more today. I'm not really all that sore from yesterday and it felt good to get out of the house. Wish me luck! I hope SOMETHING happens soon... I'm trying to be patient too though.

Thanks mamas for your tenderness in sharing my stories about Dom... it's interesting that I think CIO would not have affected Isaac whatsoever (other than angering him possibly) but with Dom's sensitive personality I think is why it had the effect it did. He's so tender and so in tune with my emotions and feelings... it's part of my concern about him attending the birth. I've been working so hard on preparing him for how I might act or feel so he doesn't get upset about it.

Off to walk mamas...

I too would love to see the kiss-miss tree.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

well that's a big relief on the lidocaine front







i still wouldn't be able to deal without at least a couple of days of the percocet though







: *pain wimp* and i got the lidocaine DURING the tearing both times. not just for the stitches.

i was only a recent convert to chiro and started going when i was pg. and i haven't been back since although i would LOVE to go. one of those budget things that gets axed. my chiro has really urged me to bring in the kids but i never have....also a budget thing. i think isaac would love it. i think isaac would have benefitted from it as a babe because he was so colicky.

i agree with beth - some kids survive cio unscathed so don't put too much blame on yourself. Nts may have been something dom was 'wired' for regardless. maybe it made it worse but you've been receptive to sleeping with him and making it better for him

i decided purse pics have to wait to friday because the recipient might spy it on my flickr. i can't wait for pics of the miss-miss tree flower too

i'll have to check out the blond twins oy









i feel positively joyous - ebin slept from 10 until 3 and then until 6. whoa nelly. longest sleep stretch in months. this was after lots of gnashing of the teeth. my nipples are really feeling that top tooth







ouchie

rock n roll baby!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Aww! That's such a cute pic of Ebin!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I lost track counting his rolls! what a love!!!


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

send some warm fuzzies fernie's way... more oy...

~claudia


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Well... I didn't really walk today. I kind of mosied. I spent a lot of it shopping...









Note to any of you ladies who might wonder in the future... large servings of mango icecream do not induce labor either.









Tomorrow is my due date... and I'm feeling a little put off by that. It feels like a sentencing day or something!







: I go to my amazing midwife in the morning... and I'm sure she'll make me feel much better about things... but I just don't want to hear that no progress has been made in all this drama... and I definitely don't want to go in for a NST/BPP or anything of the sort...

Don't I have a week McSarahB until they will want one of those?

Alright ladies... I think I'm really ready for some labor vibes...


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Danile,

I think with L they left me alone until I was a week past due date. I hope you are able to get some rest, some more food, a good message from your dh, and whatever else you need before this wee one makes its entrance.

And then:



























































May Peaceful labor vibes come your way!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Our mw's started NST at 40, BPP at 41 I think. Not to worry though...Friday will be the day! Or sometime this year! Lots of strong, peaceful labor vibes coming your way!!


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Eh, I've spent ~6 wks in "overdue land" (ie, past due date). Delivering on or before your edd is overrated.














: NSTs/BPPs aren't that big of a deal, either (I think I've done at least 7-8 of them).... I'm hoping you *don't* get there, but just assume that everything is great, because it almost certainly is. And realize that obviously, you're healthy and doing a good job, otherwise, the baby would have vacated by now.







The baby's just being considerate and allowing you to finish your shopping.

Had another dream last night that we had a baby named Clementine (I totally believe that it's the scads of tiny oranges my kids are scarfing down). Dh said something like, "You know, I think having girls named Tallulah and Clementine would be a little too much."


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i went 11 days past my edd with isaac and never had an NST. i don't know what BPP is ? one of the reasons i like my ob. he's so 'natural course of things' he doesn't care if you have an 11 lb baby







(you wouldn't believe how many people told me they thought my doc did something 'wrong' by "letting" me birth a baby that big







)

isn't ebin the rolliest thing? his wrists look like they're going to pop

hmm i actually wore a skirt today and now they called for me to head out to the steel mill. now i have to go home and change. so much for breaking out of my jeans pattern


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I'm feeling kind of on-top-of-things today! It's a great feeling and one I don't experience that often. Properly fueled by good amounts of caffeinated beverage.

I got my mom a gift online that might even get to her before Christmas!
I got my boots shined, and when I wear boots, watch out world!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

els - if your socks never arrive i may believe that they got lost in the christmas mailing vortex. do you know how long it takes normally?? i might just happen to know the date they were mailed







and if they're lost i may have to see about dispatching another pair


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

KK mentioned this oy, but in case anyone hasn't been there today....

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=814606


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Score!!!!! Jstar got me as a sockee!!!! Oh, I am psyched. Things take between 2-3 weeks so I've been eagerly awaiting the mail every day. I've only lost one into the abyss.


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

It would be really funny if jstar, who was twice ungifted and then this year twice gifted, sent a gift that never was received! Hopefully the wierd wrinkle is worked out in the time/space continuum that has occurred around jstar and mmf gifts.

OK, dh has started the video without me- I'd better go!

Oh- TC, I gotta say, you really helped me keep my sanity today. Thanks for the phone call! Sometimes a little perspective goes a long way.


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Just checking in to say that the CT scan has been postponed. They wanted me to administer the sedative at home and we felt that was NOT OKAY. We are waiting for a new appointment that includes a professional to monitor the sedation.

Anyway, crazy busy day. Aunt from London arrives tonight, dropping off presents for daycare teachers all day, a vet appointment, an ear check for Annie...feeling overwhelmed.

Love to all,


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Hey MMF's!

Just checkin in. Still pregnant, thank heavens...

Big drama situation yesterday. Midwife said I was ripe and ready for labor, but she felt a butt. Got rushed in for an u/s and determined it was baby's cheek, not butt. Thank heavens! Riding all over the state to find an imaging place that could get me in and confirm presentation so that I could rush to get in for an external version left me with a hemorrhoid the size of Mt. Everest that I can't even walk with today. Probably the stress also. Midwife was very concerned because of my cervix and contractions that I would go into labor before they could confirm and I would have to argue my wish to deliver a vaginal frank breech.

After all this... I'm happy to be overdue... baby can just stay in a another week if it would like.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

you're not 'over'due until 42 weeks and one day







and i'm so sorry about the mt. everest hemmie. pregnancy is such a doozie for the rear end and it is so painful! i hope you can take it really easy today. SO glad it was a just a cheek - that would have put a wrinkle in things

lisa - i hope you survive your crazy day. i have kind of a similar one planned. well maybe not *that* crazy. pediatrician visit this morning (isaac has an interminable groin rash i can't beat), i have to vacuum because ebin rolls around and ends up with more dog hair than the dog (blech!), work stuff, grocery shopping, *must* get some sort of picture card ordered, pump milk, pay some bills.

i'm just praying the work info doesn't arrive in the email so i don't have to do it









so i accepted that contract you know. and then that engineering firm asked me if i wanted to team on a general services proposal. and i said no thanks - i can't handle a lot of work right now. and then of course they talked me into it because it isn't a committment to actually doing any work







yeah. i guess it is good in the long run.

the purse-giving was a success. i didn't even get pics before i gave it to her - her birthday was yesterday but she came over wed night.

happy carrie

outside closeup

the inside is the best!

it is reversible. and it wasn't really a surprise...she picked the fabrics and gave me an old purse to copy. the outside fabric was a pita to work with! but it was a surprise to see it actually done







i printed off these gift tags and used the one that says 'i made this, just so you know. so don't say anything mean about it' i find these funnier than they should be and have put them on a lot of my gifts
















els - what was our mailing deadline? dec 3rd? i think i mailed it a few days before that. so it has been a solid 3 weeks. hmmmmm. what is with me and this karmic gift mailing?????


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

just scanning posts quickly....having a flaky day...

danile---do you think that's why all the contrax stopped...babe position change? I noticed that a lot w/ HJ. Today's the day baby (or tomorrow or next week!) Sorry about all the running around for the u/s....lots more peaceful vibes coming your way!

jess---those tags are hilarious!! beautious bag too! lucky friend!

lisa--don't blame you at all about the meds! No way would I give meds like that to a sedation level at home and then to think you're supposed to hop in the car and drive w/ her zonked like that??

stressy day here from running to and fro. Took HJ to the ped this morning for a weight/reflux check-in and he's starting to gain sloooowly, but seems on the same growth/reflux pattern as E 'cept he's still nursing well so we'll see... suck suck suck does the reflux.

okay....stinky pants abound here and off to get C from school and run to pt and then run some more just for the fun of it!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Just a drive-by post myself...sending love to busy mamas this holiday season...


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

so isaac has had the diaper rash that won't go away. i thought it would get better once he PLd but it hasn't. it waxes and wanes. he itches his groin area insanely whenever he's naked. in the past i've thought it was eczema. more recently i've been convinced it is jock itch. then recently it has turned into red dots across the pad above his penis and almost all the way down to his knees! jock itch cream hasn't done anything. and between his scrotum and legs is really red. SO finally i took him to the ped for it. the spots down the leg part is totally new.

turns out it is not the most persistant case of jock itch on the planet but likely a reaction to laundry detergent! the ped asked if we'd recently changed...and why yes i recently changed to bio-kleen. so natural does not necessarily mean non-irritating folks! who knew. i have always used dreft on baby clothes and whatever random phosphate-based stuff on adult clothes. and i was washing isaac's clothes in regular detergent until i recently decided to wash his underwear in dreft and see if that would help the rash. then switched to the biokleen for all baby stuff and isaac's clothes. (hence the waxing and waning of the rash as i did all that and didn't get the connection)

the red dots are like an acne breakout (red pimples and whiteheads). so we got a steroid and a bactricin. such a sensitive skin boy! we are now armed with creams and ointments and eucerin lotion and the dollar tree carp bubble bath from MIL is going bye-bye.

i got half the work-related info so if they email me the rest soon i'll have to do that. bummer.

and i really need to CLEAN but ebin is napping so i may just need to close my eyes for a bit! at least i just cleaned the kitchen. i wanted to make sugar cookies today but it is looking like it won't happen. we may just adopt sherri's tradition of christmas eve baking!









that is sucky sucky about the reflux for HJ. at least he is gaining and nursing.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

jstar-- Charlie's Soap! Started out using it for dipes, but now for all laundry. I was sensitive to laundry soap as a kid too.

Wish we could get together and bake!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

oh i need that! he rec'd all free and clear so i bought that when we stopped to get the scrips. but i will buy charlies next!

i thought i heard babe but then nothing. he's probably playing up there


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Drive-by indeed...

Quickie on the detergent: when we had the washer fixed (when it was jammed with the necklace bits that exploded when dh was being "helpful" and did a load without checking pockets







), the repair guy said that if we didn't want to ruin our front-loader, we needed to switch to a detergent *specifically* made for a front-loader (and he gave a technical but understandable reason why). We'd been using 7th Gen (not thrilled with it). I switched to some such free and clear HE (high efficiency)--was it Tide? Was it All? just to test it out (yes, KK the planet says







: on that). It turned Miss L into the eczema queen of the earth.







(You're not alone, Jess!) Lesson: just because it says it's free of this and that, just because you're double-rinsing, etc. doesn't mean it's going to not be irritating, so watch out. I got something very crunchy at Costco of all places which my friends swear by--it's called Boulder Soap, I think (tee hee hee), and it's basically the same as 7th Gen (ie, vegetable-based soap) but in liquid form (repair guy advice went out the window). My advice: buy the smallest container that you can, get it as simple as you can (a lot of the "natural" and the dye/perfume free stuff have irritating ingredients in them). Also, I've been having good luck with my sensitive skin kids with shea butter melted with a little sweet almond oil (to make it easier to run on)... been weaning us off the vaseline (there's PJ in Eucerin, too, IIRC... PJ does seem to work well on dry/irritated skin, but I'm finding that shea butter is just about as helpful, and it's not as icky). Ug. Of all places to have a rash. Poor Isaac. Poor Mama.









Reflux in babies is just *wrong*.









IME ... Baby #3 = 'rhoids. Juice? Heath? Am I full of it or not?








for Lisa.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

signing off as we fly out tomorrow morning for fun in hawaii! bill's new phone/gizmo does have internet so i may check in occasionally, but i will likely be busy relaxing...







:

have a wonderful solstice, fabulous christmas, amazing end to this year and awesome start of the new year!

thank you all for being my long distance virtual community for almost 4 years now.

with love,
claudia & boys


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 
IME ... Baby #3 = 'rhoids. Juice? Heath? Am I full of it or not?

Well, given that while I was laboring with Ethan, the nurse at one point asked, "Is she crowning?" and my midwife said, "No, those are 'roids"..... Yeah. Unfair, too, as you really and truly have less time to rest.

Sorry to have missed the chiro conversation! Been reading but this little life has been beyond crazy - I'm looking forward to having December out the door, as it's been a month I don't care to repeat. Losing a week with the pukies was bad, and then our kitchen sink was clogged for FIVE days. The plumber came yesterday AM, and was here for a grand total of seven hours (can't wait to get THAT bill!) but fortunately did *not* have to knock holes in my basement floor after all. And fortunately he was here (I was not) when water started pouring through the ceiling of the second floor stairwell. Good times. So the upshot is that I'm almost caught up with the laundry but now I have a week's worth of dishes to get through. My mom is coming either today or tomorrow but hasn't committed to one yet. I guess it doesn't matter because there is no way I'm getting this house clean enough for company before she gets here...

Anyway, I'm a huge fan of chiro for kids, and I agree with pretty much everything everyone has said (I can't think of anything I *didn't* agree with). It absolutely matters who the doc is and how they adjust, and I don't mean that there's one right way. I find that most kids absolutely love to get adjusted and ask to come in. A few are more timid or just don't like the experience (I use about the pressure I'd use to test the ripeness of an avocado) and in those cases we just go really really slow, with a lot of mom or dad involvement, and if someone gets upset we just leave it for the next time. I honestly think that adjustments for kids are one of the most powerful things you can do for their health, but there's nothing there that can't wait a week, if you know what I mean.

jstar, those tags almost made me wet myself. I am so totally using some of them! Especially if I get this scarf made for my mom today...

And while I was never really "overdue" I was six days past EDD with Ethan, and while I was completely unconcerned I do have to say that it felt like six WEEKS so danile, I hope you're still feeling good!

Must manage to post more frequently because these novel posts are frequently interrupted!


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

No, that's just my 'rhoid crowning. I think I'll name him Bob.














(says the woman who had plenty of other embarrassing stuff happening "down there" when L was crowning...)

Just a little hello... I'm in the home office (AKA, sewing room, after hours) madly working on appliqued stockings for the kids. I've just run out of red thread... not good.

I want to use some of the tags, too... I swear, I'd have a use for every single last one.







:

Danile, are you out there?


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Now that we've had the chiro discussion, I'm wondering what homeopathic remedies any of you keep on hand for you or the kiddos? Pretty much all I've tried/used is Hyland's teething tabs. I would love to start using more, but don't know where to start. Any good books?

DH is off at the mall finishing his shopping and I'm contemplating starting some refrigerator cookie doughs, but not feeling very motivated.

I was the anti-Santa today or the Grinch as it were.... I loaded up four bags of noisy toys and things not played with, plus two huge space hogging things and had DH run them over to the thrift store while the girls were napping. I figured if they hadn't been asking about these things (had them put aside in the attic) then they wouldn't miss them!

Hope the turbos are having smooth travels on their way to their sunny holiday!

Renae--miss you! hope you all had a lovely solstice! did I mention that I miss you?


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Wish peaceful labor vibes for me mamas... I think we'll have a baby in 24-48 hours....

I lost my entire mucous plug a few minutes ago after I came home from finishing every last bit of my christmas shopping.









Here's to a beautiful homebirth ahead!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

So excited for you! My guess was going to be that you were out finishing up errands. Isn't that what Jacquie was doing before annie arrived?


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Woooot! Lighting a labor candle now! Oh, Ducette, we are all thinking of you and your Christmas gift!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'll try to keep you ladies posted.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)




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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

ooooh i'll go light my candle too! SO exciting (and i agree any time past your due date feels like an eternity! i'm glad it looks like the wait is over)














a noel baby

happy travels to the turboclaudia's







it will be wonderful

you guys are killing me with the roid stories.

i am *drowning* in laundry detergent right now. i had coupons for the natural stuff so i bought a box of biokleen and a bottle of 7th gen (which i haven't opened yet). plus we already had some all or something. and i bought the all free and clear because he said specifically that brand was almost hyperallergenic. but we'll see if that really is the case. i'm just kind of bummed because i started using the biokleen and just washing everyone's clothes together (a grand life simplification plan!!!). and now i'll be back to sorting just so i can use up the plethora of detergents on the adult clothes









i also could find a use for every one of those labels. i've used a few









i'll be checking back for stories....have a lovely homebirth danile


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

blessed birth danile


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

fly-by

tc happy trip!

jstar cool purse!

lisa- TOTALLY agree with your decision

I have bought zero presents except grandparent gift I got in May, have filled out zero cards, packed zero things for Olympia. I need to get in gear, pronto. Just got home from work, put kids to bed, probably will go shopping tonight.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

danile, candle is lit. I was shopping right up until labor with Annie, too. Glad you got those errands done. Blessed birth














:

regarding 'rhoids: I still have the one from G...it doesn't really cause me problems or pain. It's just annoying. Some days it's smaller than others, but never exactly gone. Perhaps if I started exercising again and lost some more weight!

Today was spent helping dh get the church bulletins together for the Christmas eve services, getting groceries and some last-minute stuff at Target. Pretty productive day.

Claudia-have an awesome time!!!!!

jess-cool purse. I'm jealous of your sewing talents.

heath-re: homeopathic remedies, we have a small kit from homeopathyworks.com http://www.homeopathyworks.com/produ...648c6627bb74cc

that, along with a book called something like Family Guide to Homeopathy (I can check later) has been super helpful to us.

gotta run...annie is crying!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Heath--I know there are some good manuals out there for homeopathics, I have a fab resource named Alison to whom I direct all questions, then the one I have on hand without fail is Arnica for bumps n bruises. But there is a whole world of homeopathics that I don't know about, I just buy what alison tells me.

Happy christmas weekend, everybody. Fern you made me feel better--I haven't bought anyone gifts, really, just a couple things for mom/bro/friend, but otherwise no energy into the christmas thing outside my girls and stuff. No cards, although I love all of that. I just read something about how winter is really the wrong time to run ourselves ragged--in nature, it's a time of resting up and recovering from the year. Everyone gets colds, flu, etc...from trying too hard to do too much. Especially social things.
So I've taken that to heart and just want to enjoy myself (esp. after reading kk's blog entry) and am having a blast doing craft projects with the kids! Last night we made christmas stockings with lots of felt, a glue gun, glitter, and scissors. Fun! So I guess we are going to do stockings! Now I have to figure out what to put in them but there are no expectations like in my family of origin, so it's all fun.

In writing here I guess I realize that I love the making things, the crafts, the projects, when one has time & energy & desire (ie, not an expectation). The social stuff wears me down a lot, even though I crave it a bit.

Totally bookmarked that page for the tags! What a great idea!


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Els, I totally agree... before I officially "got up" this morning, I was lying in bed wondering how the pagans got this solstice thing started however many years ago this time of year... did they have winter blahs back then? (I suppose they may have had less hectic lives and more natural biorhythms







...) "Dude, I'm too tired and stressed out to help heave the Yule log. *You* do it." (And re what to put in stockings... we do a fair amount of small yummy treats... incl stuff like dried pineapple, "natural" gumdrops from WF, etc., also stuff like stickers, kid-type placemats)

Go Danile! Can't wait to hear how it all went.


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

danile, I do hope all is going well.

ok, a few minutes to finish the homeopathy discussion since I was interrupted last night....

that homeopathy kit I gave a link to is a bit pricey, but it's a wonderful investment. We've had our for 3 years now and I know it's saved us having to go the doctor many, many times. The book my naturopaths gave us with the kit is The Family Guide to Homeopathy by Dr. Andrew Lockie: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Guide-H...8426739&sr=8-1

I don't know that it's the best book out there, but it's a good place to start. It explains the basic philosophy of homeopathy and how they work. The key to homeopathy is to start with the simplest remedy. So, with the kit, you start with the first one, aconite (it's arranged alphabetically) for the early onset of things. When/if things progress, you look up the symptoms list in the kit and see which remedy applies. For example, G had a runny nose last night. I immediately jumped to allium, because he was already showing a more advanced symptom and it was too late for aconite. I gave him 3 doses last night before bed (about 3-5 tiny pellets each dose) and he slept fine. Still runny this morning, so we're continuing the allium hard core until it either lessens greatly or some other symptom presents itself and then we address that. I like that you can change the homeo. needed so quickly....as soon as things change, and I think that gives the body more ability to fight/adapt to what's going on at the moment. Medicines just aren't like that. I also use my intuition many times and certain remedies will just pop out at me...those are usually the ones I need.

Okay, I've rambled long enough. But, I am a firm believer in it. For tougher things we've had issues with, I do call my ND for appropriate treatment, but over time, I've gotten pretty good at figuring out what item in the kit works. Also, with G, we had to move beyond Hylands teething tablets at times. We bought a 200c vial of chamomilia (the kit contains all 30c potency). This got us through the molars...wonderful stuff right before bedtime. I also use our kit for fevers (G has had baby tylenol maybe once in his life). Kids respond amazingly fast to this stuff.

Off to church.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i think it is all tied to the winter blahs and hunkering down during the darkest days of winter. that's why lights play such a significant role....lights on the tree, lights on houses. to lift people up. (the lights are definitely one of my favorite aspects. i LOVE turning on my christmas tree lights and enjoying my coffee in the morning glow.) and i think the food and treats aspect is to lift people up. but yes- when every little thing becomes an obligation it definitely wears thin. (i actually never put it all together re the lights and time of year until i read an article last year. people are really prone to after-holiday depression too because the hubbub is over but it is still dark and nasty out)

your stocking-making sounds like fun, els! i think i am enjoying christmas SO much right now because there are no expectations from isaac....as in..it is ALL wonderous at this point.

no news about babe yet :stalky stalky:

merry christmas weekend everymama







it's so nice to have 4 days with the fam


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Still here. Contractions light... Update if anything progresses...


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I love the updates, Danile, keep them coming as you can. I am so excited for you, and happy you are happily laboring at home.

Yeah, jstar, the lights! So true. If these things could all be done without running ourselves ragged! And I am totally loving discovering Santa and Christmas through Sol's eyes, like you say, no expectations, just wonder and joy. She can sing along to jingle bells like nobody's business.

dying to make cookies.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

jacquie--thanks for your thoughts/wisdom on homeopathy. That kit was $$, but it does look great and compared to the alternatives, sounds like it's a good investment! I found a book on half.com so that looks to be a good primer...name escapes me now. I love how you described your approach to using different remedies and relying on intuition.

danile--thinking of you and your wee one and growing family. have a special spot in my heart for you as a soon to be mama of three!

We had a *fantastic* day today visiting my friend in the city. He took us out for the most delish non-vegan (not by a longshot!) puerto rican food. omg. yummmm! The girls ate and ate and ate some more as did we all. Then we did some holiday things in the city afterwards and walked around and I got to reminisce a bit about living there in my pre-dh, pre-kid life.

merry wishes, everymama!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Thinking of Danile this morning...

I'm a homeopathy novice, but picking up little bits at a time. I keep arnica (both pellets and creams) on hand but frequently forget to use it









Having some minor mama drama. Thinking about expounding OY but ... bleh. We'll see how the morning goes


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Still here mamas...

had some leakiness yesterday... but it wasn't my water. Contractions got as close as 3 1/2 minutes apart and three minutes long... SUPER STRONG... major burning back pain for hours... and then relaxed. My midwives and doula came and hung out for hours playing skip-bo.







I got tired and went to bed, contractions kept coming. I'm off to take the kids for Santa pictures and see if they get stronger and closer from walking.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

it sounds like you're laboring in fits and spurts and i would bet $$ you are good and dilated and effaced at this point







maybe the next ramp-up will be the BIG one

heath - that sounds like a lovely day in the city. how fun!

i am seriously







: everyone has been sick around me and i finally am afflicted










juice - i hope the mama drama isn't too bad

i saw a thingy on tv this morning about the origins of santa and i was thinking of nuggetsmom and her family's traditions. was it pressies in the clogs on dec 6th? i can't recall exactly. i think our 'american' santa has lost a lot of the 'old man winter' aspects. i bought the prettiest card for FIL&S-MIL with a traditional st nick in green robes surrounded by woodland creatures. and lots of glitter of course







i love sparkly carp

we baked our cookies yesterday. we'll see how many isaac wants to eat for breakfast


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

danile, I second what jstar said. Sounds like your body is doing just what it needs to do!

We made m&m cookies on Friday from a homemade-jarred mix someone gave us from church. We saved two in the freezer for Santa because I knew we'd eat most of the cookies by today. And, sure enough, those two in the freezer are the last ones! So, G and I made up a plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and reindeer along with a note. It's all ready to put out tonight after we get back from church, along with some milk. We've wrapped the presents for G and Annie already and put everything under the tree, except for the "big" present from us, er Santa. That will go out tonight.

As far as Christmas traditions, for us, the whole church thing is obviously central to what we do to celebrate. I love the Christmas Eve service (though it can be a bit more challenging with two kids in the pew!). In the Christian tradition, Christmas really doesn't start until tonight, and it's not over until Epiphany, Jan. 6. Really participating in Advent during the weeks before as a time of expectant waiting for the light of Christmas (in whatever way you define it) makes it more meaningful for me. Also helps maintain a bit of simplicity.

jstar-sorry about your sickies. G's still got a runny/stuffy nose. And he hates it when we wipe it. He's acting mostly normal, though, so I'm hoping it's just your run-of-the-mill cold. I just hope A doesn't get it!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Had to share some cute photos of Dom being my little coach through last nights contractions... Check out my blog to see!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Super duper cute! Your hair is so long and beautiful!

Just had a helluva time getting both girls to sleep by myself as Viet is picking up my vacation arrivals from the airport. I had to drive them around but for some reason Amara got on a screaming jag, it was awful. I ended up screaming too, utterly at wit's end. Then I started driving really fast (okay, second gear anyway, on a cobblestone road) which shut her up FINALLY. Oh it was frustrating. Now, I think I need a shot of mezcal and it's Santa Time! We did not leave anything out for Santa but had I thought of it, well, a nice little shot glass and some cookies would be great.

I spent a good amount of today getting the vacation rental ready (water, TP, maid service, a little christmas decoration) and then once home we did a snowman (glue, cosmetic cotton pulled apart, paper) crafty, I pulled out butter for cookies but I think it's just not happenin.

Viet's family gets together tonight and eats and hangs out, I honestly don't know what they do because prezzies are not involved, anyway I'm pretty sure it's a stay up until midnight thing. We were invited but with both girls DOWN AT 8 PM, I am not rocking this boat for any futile family function. I am so excited to see Sol's face tomorrow morning!


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## turbobl (Feb 2, 2007)

aloha from kauai!

(it's claudia under bill's username)

super fun and a little stressful (too many people to coordinate and my mom is missing her mom (my grandma) who passed away on christmas eve 19 years ago, and then my mom turned 60 today so she is likely feeling a little more "mature"...)

this place is gorgeous, though.

oh, and my baby boy just woke up from his nap so gotta go.

love to you all,
claudia (and bill and boys)


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Merry merries to everyone!

Claudia, good to hear from you!

Well. Whatta Christmas.

Viet came home last night and we almost immediately argued, and went to bed angry (he sleeps upstairs in the extra room anyway usually). Turns out he did not get me any gift whatsoever, nuttin, although according to him he tried and every store closed as he got there. He was late picking up my vacation rental people (BAD) which is what started the argument. He claims he was late because he was looking for my present. What present? I say.

So this morning, girls are wakey, and the dog goes ballistic barky bark which never happens, but whatever. Get up, go to tree, Sol is sooo happy and in wonderment that indeed, Santa dude provided. She starts to open presents and I call upstairs to Viet, who does not respond. Oh. So it's like THAT.
Guess this is MY Christmas thing, I did it all, every single bit, including providing for, shopping, wrapping, all the presents, etc etc ad nauseum. Start to feel sorry for myself, then check that feeling away for later gnawing.

Then I see the front door open, which goes to the courtyard, and I see the street door open, and Viet standing there talking to someone. Sol asks, Is he talking to Santa mami? I sprint out to the street to not miss any more present ransacking and it's Viet's bff, the flamenco dude, completely drunk, on his motorcycle, surely pulled a jag since last night. Immediately feel sympathy for his wife, who must be incredibly worried/sick/angry.

Rush back to the girls at the tree, and Viet comes in with bff, and we watch the gift opening, Viet is all lovey dovey with me. Okay. So it's like THAT.

A nice day proceeds, girls/play/toys/parent availability, bff eventually goes away and incredibly, does not do any damage that I know of, but wife's whereabouts are unknown. Whatever, not my problem anymore.
We fill their little pools up outside (it's a balmy day), play badminton, ball, lots of outdoor fun, eventually go for a hike in nature (one of my fave holiday activities ever). Viet is on his best behavior, says he owes me the gift. Yeah. Meanwhile, the only things in my stocking I put there myself so that Sol would not wonder why Santa so disfavored me. She also insisted that some wooden spoons for Amara were really my present.

I could feel sorry for myself, but I don't wanna. I don't have the energy to, if that makes any sense. My day is coming. One day, I'll be taken out to a nice meal again. One day.

So now he's waiting for my attention, thinking that his presence and love and attention will make up for more material things, and on an enlightened day, I'd agree. He really does have what some others lack, and if it ain't one thing, it's another, I've finally learned in this whole relationship thing.

Happy Christmas, everyone.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Oh Els.. I am sorry things didn't go as planned. At least the girls had a blast.

TC- Can't wait to hear how beautiful your trip to Hawaii was! I'd give anything to be resting my swollen feet in the sand...


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Elsanne.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

what cute dom photos! that is so sweet

hi claudia







kauai sounds busy and fun

aww els, that's such a drag







: (now i feel doubly sad you didn't get your socks! i'm going on sock mission part deux soon)

we had the highs and lows of christmas here too. isaac really wanted one of those electric giant cars (specifically a firetruck) from santa. so he was momentarily a little sad that santa didn't come through on that one. i thought we might get another year before that phenomenon







but later on doug says 'don't look now' and some kid is driving their new giant electric jeep down the street through the snowflakes! THANKfully isaac did not look out the window. there are only about 4 kids who live in our neighborhood i swear and what are the chances of that?? kinda kooky!

it was really NIFTY though that it got all kind of dark mid-morning and starting snowing big fat flakes! a real christmas treat. (it turned to rain after a couple of hours but i guess we might wake up to snow tomorrow.) the kiddos got lots of new fun toys for mama to put together







it was very cute (and exhausting). i'm pooped. luckily our meal was pretty simple and delish. mmm pear crisp

now we're watching superbad. and it is super.bad.

doug was really humoring my taste in tv yesterday by putting on the nutcracker and then later on part of the nativity story on hbo. it was a kind of dark and wierd version but later on i'm laying with isaac in bed and he asks 'how does a baby get out of your tummy?' and so we had "the talk." with ebin's birth and isaac not being there i was just vague 'baby in the tummy' 'baby out!' and well...i knew someday he would wonder how and i would wait until he wanted to know to explain it







and he was concerned that it hurt when ebin was born and he was born (cute). and then we talked about who is a girl and who is a boy. so now i'm sure he will go off to school and announce who exactly in his class has a ga-gina!

merry christmas everyone







and a sigh of relief it is all over and the tired little sugarplums are in bed


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

We had a very nice Christmas. One very sweet thing was that the very first thing T said Christmas morning (no, not "Did Santa come?" or "Can I open my presents?") was "Mommy, thank you for making our stockings." (They turned out really well but were A LOT OF WORK.) Later in the day, T to dh: "Daddy, I'm sorry for using the eggbeater on my brother, because he is not an egg." (Dude, don't use it on him even if he *is* an egg!) Went sledding on Monday (including one trip down the hill by my mother on my grandfather's old Flexible Flyer, with Z on her lap, screaming all the way down). ~6" new snow yesterday (very pretty), very sparkly and beautiful today, up to 8" more tomorrow. Lots of good (but not overly rich) food. I got my mom a 2' tree (with lights), and I made a bunch of ornaments for it (with photos of the kids, her parents, my brother, her siblings)... when I was growing up, we had a ton of ornaments handmade by my grandmother, and my mother left them all behind (by accident) when my parents divorced. (And I believe my father accidentally threw them out, stupidly thinking they were my former step-mother's... grrr...) So some happy/sad tears there. But all in all, very good. Dh and I got to take a nap! yesterday afternoon. Let's hear it for Grandma.

We watched a birthing video with T before Z was born, and I was amazed that the actual minute or 2 of the baby being born was his favorite part (he cheered, and we watched that bit several times). He was not quite 3 at the time... (While I'm watching it thinking, "A big ol' baby is going to come out of my hoo-ha... ouchie" and I'm sure dh was thinking "I'm responsible for a big ol' baby coming out of her hoo-ha... ouchie")


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KKmama* 

We watched a birthing video with T before Z was born, and I was amazed that the actual minute or 2 of the baby being born was his favorite part (he cheered, and we watched that bit several times). He was not quite 3 at the time... (While I'm watching it thinking, "A big ol' baby is going to come out of my hoo-ha... ouchie" and I'm sure dh was thinking "I'm responsible for a big ol' baby coming out of her hoo-ha... ouchie")

KK- You crack me up!







I'm in awe when I watch birthing videos. I watch them ALL THE TIME. Dom and Isaac will watch them with me... but being a childbirth educator I'm a total addict on seeing new birth videos and deciding on their potential usage in my class. So I think he's used to other people birthing... I just hope Dom does well when I'M birthing.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Els--phew. Sounds like way more stress on a holiday (or any day) than you need. **hugs**

kk--love taht your craftyness made the holiday special for your family!

We walked to the park today!! My first walk/exercise/park adventure post-HJ and thankfully (so far) no pain from the incision and related stuff. Girlies had a blast and HJ stayed snuggly warm in my improvised triple stroller (see blog). If the rain holds off, we may yet try another walk after naps.

C was ecstatic yesterday morning and I was able to capture all the cuteness w/ the camcorder. The talking Dora cash register from MIL has already disappeared.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

any pics of the stockings kk? that is so cute (T's appreciation AND his apology about the egg beater)

funny about the cash register heather







we amazingly didn't get any noisy toys. i had mentioned natural and hopefully lead-free toys on our 'wish list'. my mom got me some home lead tests and wrapped them up - ha ha funny







she also got me the countdown to george bush going out of office calendar. and she's a republican

ugh. back to work when really all i want to do is clean and organize.


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Making chili for chili dogs and fries here today. At least the chili is homemade and the dogs are kosher!















:

Christmas here was nice, but I'm glad its winding down. John got a a gift cert for a SPA DAY! I am so calling today to make my appt. The kids received the limited gifts well. We didn't go stingy, but we did pare down from what we have done in the past. It actually made for a better day all around. Not nearly as overwhelming and crazy for everyone.

The date has been set for, duh-duh-duh-DUH..... nightweaning! Friday, this Friday. John will go in when Jett wakes. I know he can sleep all night. Just last weekend, the kids stayed the night at my parents house and he slept for nearly 12 hours straight, not even one waking. He just LIKES nursing all night long (5-6 times) and I just can't do it anymore. So we're doing what we did with Mia and that is John will go in each time he wakes until he gets the picture that the nursies are not coming in anymore. Hope is goes as smoothly as it did with her - 2-3 nights, no tears. Wish us luck!

Gotta go. Chili is done and I'm about to eat my arm off.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

The daddy plan worked well for us---home things go well! Chili anything sounds yummy!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

OMG that sounds so good. I am seriously jonesin' for some comfort food. Thanks for the sympathy guys about no prezzies for elsanne. I was a bad, bad girl this year, apparently







.

I keep telling myself, it's not like I didn't know this about Viet. He really just doesn't see it the way I do at all, Christmas just isn't a thing in his family.

I'm thinking about nightweaning too Meg. It's a vice at this point!

KK I want to see the stockings too. I was so inspired by your post about stockings and the stuffers I got are awesome! I found some homemade gumdrops!
Heather I keep getting blocked from your blog...I have a xanga persona but never post, and that could be the problem It's' frustrating.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Els...if you're logged in (shows that in upper right corner-ish) and then visit you should be able to see. My stats just show someone (who could that be?







) from Mexico, but not logged in.

afternoon sluggishness setting in...


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Mmmmm.... Chilidogs... Where's the drooling smiley?









That's so funny! That's how we nightwean too! I didn't realize that was such a popular way. It just seemed the most loving. Plus, with each of my boys it seemed like if TJ went in then they didn't even request nursing... they stayed at a more constant level of sleep. Where as if I went in... they smelled me and would become more alert and agitated. So we worked as a team on night weaning.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

I'm eating at Meg's tonight.

Ducette, like, without prodding and I know you're getting tired of responding for one whose will is unknown, but what's up with you and baby?


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

mmmm chilidogs







:

i'm so curious about the triple stroller improvisation that i might have to register for xanga









isaac wasn't very happy with daddy during our nightweaning days and he still isn't very happy with daddy. (he can be a stinker about dad.) ebin is clearly already more fond of him

nightweaning is sweet bliss though once it is over and your body remembers how to sleep again! boy how i miss it.

some chocolate will get me through 10 more minutes of work before isaac and doug get home. and then i *have* to clean up this place.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Els-

I have concluded this baby is teaching me that I don't know as much as I thought I knew about pregnancy and birth. Just when I think I can find some predictability- I get a curveball. LOL. I have no idea when "the real thing" is going to happen... and tomorrow I am 41 weeks. I have not had any bloody show... but since we are kind of on an insurance deadline (they won't pay if baby is born after the 31st) I'll consent to having my membranes stripped tomorrow. As I am uncomfortable taking a risk in blood pressure spiking I'm reserving cohosh and other such herbal things as my more interventionist interventions. Lets just hope things take tomorrow morning. I probably won't be back until evening- so don't panic when I don't check in.

I'm glad you all are teaching me the patience of enjoying this pregnancy. I'm sure we'll all laugh about this even weeks from now.


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

.....and then you'll need that patience for the all night long feedings!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

If I can get some assistance with the boys I'm not so worried about that..

I miss the little grunting/snuffy noises that nursing babes make...


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

My favorite is when a sleepy newby pulls off after nursing and falls asleep right there at the breast.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Or when they make little smiles when they are nursing to sleep...


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

me again.

kauai is nice, albeit a little more windy than i expected. and it's kind of a chore to coordinate 8 people doing anything and my sister is driving me a little crazy. ah well. perhaps in a few days it will feel more like a vacation. *sigh*

stefan currently napping, and marek is loading all the objects he can find into his "firetruck", i.e. a bunch of boxes from our grocery pickup at costco.

and it snowed in pdx for christmas...??? weird. and pretty. it definitely didn't snow here. ha ha ha...

danile: thinking of you, mama... come on out, baby... your mama's waiting to see your face...









mahalo!

~claudia


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

I hope it didn't snow there, Claudia!!

KK/jstar--- triple stroller= my finagling three kids into one double jogger. I squashed HJ's bucket seat into one side, C on the other and E above the canopy. I randomly came across a post in the twin forum with a link to a $$$ stroller that had a seat fashioned in that position and voila it works w/o spending another $600!

babysitter coming for four hours tomorrow...whatever will I do w/ the free hands?? oh yeah, clean the cluttery house! And costco! must. resist. one. bite. brownies!


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Serve me up some (vegetarian) chili dogs and fries, too...







:

One of my favorite things about newborns is their toes/feet...









Danile, I thought that if you combined blue/black the BP thing balanced out. What about EPO? I think that as ready as you seem, doing the membrane stripping when you have an ins deadline is a sensible idea.

Nightweaning ain't gonna happen around here till L's eye teeth finish popping through (2 down, 2 to go, gums bulging). My nipples are all chewed up, and dh is already helping significantly at night (~3 am, I often cry uncle and he takes her to the guest room for a few hours while I sleep with my buddy lansinoh). I agree though that having mama do the NWing is a recipe for disaster.

Isn't it funny how natural/HFS gumdrops are actually *good*? (Ie, not sweetened rubber.) I'll post some crafty/projecty pix on my blog soon.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I've been on EPO since 36 weeks. I'm sure it's helped... and I think I'm really effaced... just not dilated very much. It's funny everything kicked in so early this time... then just STOPPED.







I'd just read about the raise in blood pressure.. not the combined effects. Still, DH and I tend to stay away from any herbs/chemicals until necessary- and then herbs before chemicals. So... we'll so how the stripping takes... and then come saturday we'll discuss our herbal options. I think I'll die if castor oil gets suggested... I don't even want that can of worms. But my previous experience with blue cohosh was not fun either. I describe it like snorting dirt while holding a lighter under your tongue. It is absolutely one of the NASTIEST tastes I've ever come across.

Claudia- So glad to hear that the kids are having a blast! Hopefully you'll get to actual relax while your there. Hoping your vacations go better than ours... I finally get settled in right before we have to leave...









One bite brownies... don't tempt me. I doubt it would help my battle with my bottom.







:









I second the vegetarian part... I haven't been able to eat any form of meat this entire pregnancy... it makes me sick to even see it. I don't think that's going to change afterwards. LOL


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Whew. Finally relaxing a bit after a wild and crazy weekend. My mom left yesterday and DH and I sat on the couch and let the kids watch TV for hours. It was awesome. He's back at work today, and I actually have to go to the office as well but only for an hour or two.

Els,







I do understand about doin' it all (and I don't do it all). Santa was thoughtful enough to get me some slippers from LL Bean while he was ordering a couple of things for my DH







And in all honesty, if it weren't for the kids I would have lobbied for a gift-free Christmas. But then, a gift-free Christmas is different when it's gift-free for everyone, not just you.

Danile, thinking happy baby thoughts for you. It's hard to know in cyberspace, but you sound like you're maintaining your sense of humor, and it sounds like you have a good approach in mind. Come on out, baby!

Thinking of the Turbos in Hawaii. Eight people is a LOT to organize, and can be frustrating. I hope you're having a blast in spite of it all!

Nightweaning - the last frontier! I'm not quite ready yet (OK, *I* am totally ready, but I think Ethan needs a few more months). I can honestly say I haven't slept through a night in at least six years, and I must say it does sound heavenly! But I can also say I miss the newborn grunties, fingers, toes, sleepy sighs and all the other sweetness of a new baby.

Someone is calling me from the bathroom. How is it that she's gone from flushing the potty both before and after using it, to refusing to flush at all, and now to only flushing with an audience?


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Almost completely caffeinated here.

Sol is reciting a list of whom all will get gifts on Three Kings Day, which is when kids get gifts in Mexico. Jan. 6. She's going over all the relatives. She's so stinkin' cute.

We're doing Operation NW (nightwean, not northwest) ourselves, rather loosely, in that it's that "extra" wakeup in the wee hours that I will not abide. Viet comes in and all is well.

I have my first big rental of the really big house today, I've been doing lots and lots of work for them and am excited to have it happen, all things are well and covered so far so that's good.

Randomly, I'll make a pitch for Bach flower remedies here:
me = total skeptic that a flower sitting in water, and a tiny drop of that could do anything for me.

Maybe it's one of those things that is in your head, but I had a student of mine do a flower remedy "reading" (where the flowers are on cards, tarot-like, and you select a few that "vibe" you) for me and create a remedy based on the cards I selected, and I wrote down what they are good for and tried to remember those things as I took my drops. Things like, enjoying life fully, allowing those around me the space they need, maintaining my personality, etc etc, all good things one would like to have in their world.
Supposedly these essences work on an ethereal level (obviously not a physical one, if you're drinking one drop of one drop of one drop kind of thing) and I swear, I began to feel "lighter" emotionally. I still had my monthly economic crisis, but overall I have to say I think it "worked"...anyone else try these?


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

Hello to all. It sounds like everyone had a pretty good holiday, save for miss elsanne. Big hugs to you mama. It's not like the present has to be the best in the world, just a little thought put into it. My holiday was so-so. In-laws drive me nuts. thatsallimsayin.

Ducette, thinking of you often and hoping you can meet that baby soon soon soon!

Lisa, thinking of you and your little A. I think you did the right thing by not administering the meds at home. Seems awfully scary to me. I know the suspense and waiting must be hard, though. Was your Mom there for Christmas? And the craziness at the zoo in SF! Wow! Scary.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

I thought the deal was that one cohosh raised BP and the other tended to lower it, and so they're safer used together. (Someone with more info, please step in.) I've used them (together), and I definitely did a lower dose (I was running out of time with Z to VBAC; he was born IIRC ~36 hrs before my mandatory repeat C at 42 wks). Having done every single "natural" labor inducing thing (you name it, I've tried it with one kid or another), personally, I'd do cohoshes before CO, but that's just me.

Maybe it's just me, but one reason to really enjoy New Year's Eve/Day is that it tends to be a family-free (extended family-free) holiday.







:









I've never done the Bach thing, but I'll admit to going in for essential oils.

Snowing again today. (When life gives you snow, make snowballs. And snow forts. And snow angels. And so on.)


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I agree KK. I would do cohoshes before CO also... CO has worse risks like postpartum hemorraghing, exhausting the uterus... etc.

Looks like I won't need to now.... Contractions three minutes apart... bloody show... super strong burny contractions... I'll check in later...


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

squeaaaaaaaaaaaal! Yay Danile!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)




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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

eeee....exciting!! come on, baby!!

babysitter here and I'm goofing off instead of cleaning. what a luxury!









okay...must jet, thinking of you danile!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

oooooooooooooh excitement!!!!! xoxoxo









claudia ~ my advice is that you and bill and boys steal away for a couple of your own activities here and there. it is hard to coordinate big groups and you're there long enough to have time to do big group and small group (you!) activities







today is spitting snow and rain at us. they were predicting up to 4 inches or so on the valley floor but so far thankfully it is wet down low. (i'm not into having a snow day today) unlike any other place that sees a lot of normal snow portland grinds to a standstill and traffic is heinous

i have bach's rescue remedy. i'm not sure if it really works or if it is someone's genious that they could cash in on the placebo effect







in any case i try it once in a while. and i like the sounds of that thing you did, els.

it was quite nice having an extended family free christmas. we just had to talk on the phone SEVERAL times. and isaac is refusing to talk on the phone lately but he did humor a couple of lucky grandparents









i have a friend irl who has a baby a month older than ebin. and she's just figured out she's pg again. she's not happy about it and not wanting it but i've pointed out many things (ie. pregnancy takes the half life of uranium) and thngs that will be easier about having them close together. so i think she's keeping it. i hope. anyway she had a C so i am trying to pump her full of VBAC info and point her towards VBAC-friendly folks here. she already called her doc and they said 'c!'







i'm hoping she has some insurance flexibility to get away from those folks.

i was also thinking this morning that the homeless girl i know is due in a few weeks. i have a carseat and clothes and dipes for her but no way to get ahold of her. i guess her mom is living in a student studio so i think she has a place to stay. (that is one sad stupid sitch).


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

jstar, very sad indeed.

not so sad for Danile! C'mon, baby!

wooooot!


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

i'm also sad about benazir bhutto







sorry i'm a downer

a ducette baby will be cheerful news














:


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

:







:







:


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Jasmine Rayne Ducette arrived at 4:42 p.m. PST.

She ended up being an unplanned UC (with the assistance of my RN doula...







)

Healthy as a horse!

7lbs. 14 oz.
20"

Nursed for a half hour within the first ten minutes of birth. Latched like a champ!







And she's got lots of cute hair compared to the boys!

I feel great- I'll update later!!


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## Jacqueline (Jun 11, 2003)

welcome jasmine!!!!!!!

congrats, danile!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo! Wonderful news. Can't wait to hear the details.


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

congratulations, danile and family! welcome baby girl Jasmine! sweet babymooning to you, mama...

~claudia


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

welcome jasmine, sweet girl







how exciting







congratulations on your UC. can't wait to see pics of cute newborn love. so glad you feel great


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

Welcome,sweet baby girl! Congrats, mama!!!



































What a lovely name!!


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Congratulations Danile, and welcome Jasmine!! Beautiful name.







:


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Woo hoo! Congrats! Can't wait to hear more, see pix.

Very cold here (but sparkly). Trying to entice friends to come over to *our* house to play (so I don't have to go out














.

Dh was trying to be very nice to me last night, gave me a piece of chocolate while we were attempting to watch a DVD. Alas, I was tired, I was lying down (and fell asleep). L was next to me, and... fell asleep on the chocolate. This morning, she has a chocolatey dreadlock in her hair.







: indeed. We're trying to get as much of it as possible out of her hair, the sheets, her jammies, etc. before a bath. This is one of those cases where it is *not* good that she has so much hair.


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## A&L+1 (Dec 12, 2003)

Yay! Welcome, Jasmine. You are so wanted and loved already. Good job giving the student-midwife-to-be a run for her money with a UC!
I can't wait for details.

I have not been online for a bit. Stupid connection at home is wonky. I am glad to check in now to such good news.


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Hi everybuggy!

Welcome, Jasmine!!







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I am so excited for you Danile that you have a) a girl, and b) an UC!! That was kind of my secret fantasy with Amara, to have an UC. Definitely something that student midwife will treasure! LOVE HER NAME and totally psyched to hear she is doing so well, and you. What are you doing with the placenta?

I'm feeling good and positive, seeing a new chiropractor that is helping me so much with my neck, which is something I always am dealing with but two days ago became unbearable.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

Yay, Danile! Welcome, little GIRL. Can't wait to hear the story.

Sorry I've been MIA. First time on MDC since we left OR. Enjoying the family time and warm weather. Huge thunderstorm today after muggy, muggy morning. Aaaah, the South. Lily is as happy as a clam in mud here. It's soooooooooo nice having 6 adults around for her to bounce around; always someone willing to read to her or take her for a walk. Heaven.

Lots to respond to, in no particular order:
Lidocaine: check. Yes, HB MWs in OR definitely carry it; they can give it pre-tear if they think it's going to be bad. I personally had it afterward just for the stitches.

Chiro/cranio-sacral: Love 'em. We did cranio-sacral for Lily when she was tiny up to about age 1.5 for sleeping issues and colds. I've taken her to the chiro once after her big fall off the slide this summer. She was totally fine with it. I love the chiro for myself - in fact, just went to my mom's yesterday for a vacation tune-up!

Flower essences: same as jstar. I have the Bach's and use it every now and then when I think about it, but don't notice a huge difference.

Detergent: Jstar, if you're looking to get rid of the Biokleen, we could use it.







. I've heard the front-loader thing too but we've used Biokleen in both of our front-loaders (rental house and our current) and so far no problems.

Thinking of A and your family, Lisa. How's it going? I would refuse to give a sedative at home, too. That sounds bizarre. Too much that could go wrong if you ask me, the RN. Sheesh.

Christmas traditions: we always opened one present on Christmas Eve growing up, and will probably continue that with Lily. We didn't this year because she had so many toys out already and didn't need any more excitement. We left cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, plus a note. We have a pretty casual Christmas morn with one big Santa gift for Lily plus her stocking (no stockings for grownups) and then opening all the other presents. Santa also put little candy canes on the tree. My dad makes pancakes, and we have a big, yummy Christmas dinner in the afternoon. It was great to have the whole family here this year. My mom and I baked way too many cookies and other sweets so we've been trying to eat better the last couple of days. Unfortunately for my waistline Christmas means sweets and food around here. But it's so fun.









DH and I went out to a movie a few nights ago (Sweeney Todd - oooh!) and are going out to dinner tomorrow. Did I mention that it's heaven?

OK, must skedaddle. Love to my May Mamas and Happy 2008!

*mwah*
S.


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## Sarah'sMama (Nov 30, 2002)

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Welcome Jasmine Rayne!!!


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## orangecanoe (Aug 3, 2003)

awww...that's perfect, Sherri!


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Congratulations Danile and Welcome Baby Jasmine! So glad all is well and Happy BabyMoon to you both!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Waiting to hear an update on the Ducettes!

Good weekend so far--went to the chiro (3x in as many days, and it still hurts) WITH the girls, and Amara of course was all over so the receptionist put a sucker in her hand and turned on nickolodeon, and when I went out to the reception area both girls were super well behaved, sitting on the couch with candy and watching cartoons. Ah! So THAT'S how it's done!
Viet is at a faire today, trying to sell his wares, so it's all me, all weekend...scary....
but we're having fun! after the chiro I took the girls to the market where we ate at a food stall, chile relleno n all the fixins, both girls ate their soup very well and then we went to the park, and that went well too. I feel like we're finding a groove.

En route home, Amara fell asleep, transfer into the bedroom went well, and now it's relax time! yay!


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## mamameg (Feb 10, 2004)

Get with the candy and cartoons program, Elsanne! Where have you been, sista? Although, it doesn't work as well if you do it all the time. Er, um, so I hear.









When I am on solo duty, keeping busy and out of the house is my #1 strategy. Good luck with all that!

Thanks for all your thoughts on chiro for kids. I will admit I didn't know there was such a difference in how they adjust kids vs adults. You all made me reconsider some of my fears and I will continue to re-evaluate.

Night 1 of nightweaning went exceptionally well. Who knew merely TALKING to the child would work such wonders???? Last night before bed I was talking up the "nursies are going night night too... you can have them again in the morning" spiel and guess what? He slept from 9:30 until 6:15. I do think he understands.

But we did figure out one other thing. Mia currently sleeps on the top bunk, above Jett on the bottom. I know from sleeping down there with him that you can really hear every move Mia makes, and she is a restless (!) sleeper. Well. Last night, Mia stayed at my parents house, so he was alone in the room and I think her not being there making noise helped a lot. So looks like we're unstacking their beds this evening.









White bean soup simmering on the stove. Have I told you all how when it comes to making soup, I am the queen? The Queen, I say!


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Again, I'm eating at Meg's house tonight. 'Round here I'm munching on dry baked sweet potato that was supposed to be a lot better than it is. And, some bites of Viet's turkey cheese sandwich. ho hum.

Candy n cartoons. Shoulda known. !! And it's interesting to hear your take on keeping busy n out of the house...it worked wonders here. Shortly after I posted today, everything went to carp, when Amara woke up after a 30 min nap grouchy and then both girls were whiny and clingy. So, out of the house again, and they were happy as clams at my friend's house playing w/her son's toys.
I think again just how happy I am sometimes to have a job and get out of the house most days by mySELF. Said friend is married to a restauranteur, pretty successful, and she's due next week with baby #2 and baby #1 is one day older than Amara (who is 1.5 yo). She said that being dependent on someone is not always ducky because you lose a lot of independence, that she was always used to earning her own money. I hadn't thought of that. They have a good relationship, but still. Interesting thought, and I somehow doubt I'll ever experience it.


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

I want to eat at Meg's, too. DH and I went out to a pretty nasty "seafood" place tonight and had mediocre fish-n-chips and shrimp salad. Hmmm. But the "by ourselves" part was nice. I think Lily ate ice cream for dinner, though. Gotta love the grandparent thang.









Yay for successful nightweaning! That sounds harsh but YKWIM. Hugs to you, Meg.

Time to turn in over here on the East Coast. Feeling ready to get home. Love the vacation vibe but boy, is this life different from our normal.

S.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Here's a link to my birth story mamas...

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=818929


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

awww lovely - the snowstorm part IS very romantic. what a wonderful birth for jasmine







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sarah - the biokleen is yours. i'm kinda bummed isaac had such a reaction to it because i LIKE it. and i've been using it on dipes with no ill effects for ebin.

i too love the extra adult hands when we visit family.









we are rallying to 'organize' around here. we went through the basement with garbage/recycling/donate bags yesterday and bought shelves today to set up down there for toys and camping gear. i gave away 2 wingback chairs for free on craigslist and am selling an armoire. just waiting for the guy to get here







then we're moving dressers around in our room and hanging clothing rails and shelves on one wall. yay for progress!!

yay for smooth nightweaning, meg. i hope night #2 went well too.

white bean soup sounds yummo. tonight i'm trying some barley and steak stew recipe that was in the newspaper. i dig barley....and can't recall the last time i ate it.

i better check on the maybe-napping babe. with all the screeching going on down here i'll be amazed if he's sleeping









oh and i have several poopy items to throw in the laundry. isaac had a few BRIGHT green diarrhea episodes yesterday. like the oddest color i have ever seen. i was waiting to make sure there wasn't *more* laundry


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## fiddlefern (Nov 9, 2003)

Woo hoo! Welcome Jasmine!




























What an empowering birth story. I am so happy you got your homebirth, and UC to boot! Enjoy your babymoon!

And Heather, I thought I was going to die of cuteness with the thing shared oy. Either that or pick up my monitor and hug it and rock it back and forth. Oh my gosh, the cuteness.


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## Miss Juice (Jun 9, 2005)

Beautiful birth story, indeed







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And Heather, I don't know how you stop yourself from just eating HJ. Seriously!







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My hat is off to anyone who is still cosleeping with a maybaby! Caitlyn was off to her first ever sleepover at a friend's house, and Allison moved into our bed for the evening. I forgot about the nighttime acrobatics! DH finally fled around 4:00 this morning, but suffice it to say (initially typed slay, pretty accurate too) that the adults did not get much in the way of sleep. Looks like we'll be moving into 2008 loving







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Speaking of, anybody have plans for the evening?


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## elsanne (Mar 10, 2004)

Ah, juice, bummah for no sleeps. I still sleep with miss Sol but she's not so acrobatic, methinks.

Our plans tonight include a bonfire outside, and some burning of paper ala juice. Y'know, write things on there, and be done with them, or send them up as wishes for 2008. we shall see. Today I have a private bellydance lesson, yay yay, for my chiropractor's wife and daughter, which money will go right back at them in the form of adjustments. I am being treated for this neck o' mine and I am so glad. I'm in a lot of discomfort.

The bunny has stickers on her nose and ears. Wonder who put them there.

Last night Viet brought home a movie, and in it was a passionate steamy scene, and I turned to Viet and said, that couple doesn't have children. It was a stupid movie that was all about drugs, sex, and rock n roll. I could not relate, anymore.


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## jstar (Jul 22, 2004)

no plans here. one friend is having a party starting at 8 and i think 2 years ago i took isaac and stayed til 10ish. but that doesn't sound like fun at all these days. putting both kids to bed at their normal time sounds like more fun









i sleep with isaac occasionally and he's alright. but ebin woke hourly last night from 12 til 4 (grrr). and then luckily he slept, but i set my alarm for 7:30. two nights ago ebin slept for FIVE hours and my boobs leaked all over the place. thankfully i was dead as a stone that whole time - it was the first 5 hour stretch i've slept in gawd knows how long. boy, i needed that









i don't know when i'll nightwean ebin. i think a large part of night nursing *is* habit. my ped is pretty much in the 9 months+ they don't "need" to feed all night. but that's easier said than done. ebin doesn't actually pause to nurse that much during the day because he's so distractable and busy now. so i think he feeds at night because it is quiet and he gets hungry. i'll probably wait til 16 or 18 months or so. i think it IS easier when you can tell them why the nursies are going night-night. i think it is like jet-lag though. your body gets used to eating at a certain time. and when you fly around the world you're starving for lunch at 3am but your body can adjust after a few days









my long-winded way of saying i look forward to maybe sleeping in a YEAR or so









a bonfire sounds like fun but i think it will be waaaaaaay too wet here. i hope your neck starts to feel better elsanne!


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## mcsarahb (Aug 25, 2003)

DH and I and my brother are going to a movie, then coming home and hanging out until midnight, prolly. Although it's more fun to watch the apple drop when it's live (i.e. on the East Coast), and we're at Central time right now). The fire/burning of old carp sounds fun. Maybe we'll try it.

We had a great afternoon on the beach eating a picnic and playing in the sand with Lily. Gorgeous and sunny! Doesn't feel like New Year's at all.

Lily is in the acrobatics club. She started sleeping in her own bed (right beside ours) at about 18 months, which coincided with nightweaning. She is now in her own room, since about, oh, 4 months ago?

Ducette - Loved the birth story! Sounds like you were so focused on the baby and calm! Way to go, mama. Your doula sounds great.

Think I might go make some lemon bars...mmmmmmm...

S.


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## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

ooh! ooh! I get to start the new thread!


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