# Not Mamas... Yet Tribe, Part XVII (Winter 08/09)



## CAndMe

Welcome to the Not Mamas... Yet Tribe, Part XVII (Winter 08/09)

(with thanks to Rico'sAlice for most of this text)

Iaorana! As-salaamu `alaykum! Merhaba! Γεια σου! Ãyubõván! Jambo! Hola! Boa tarde! Ciao! Guten Tag! Bonjour! Magandang Hapon Po! Selamat petang! Konnichiwa!

Hello! Returning members, glad you made it over, hope the trip wasn't too hard. Just put your feet up and relax for a while. We've got organic lemonade, coffee (regular and Swiss-water-process decaf), pastured raw milk, kombucha, kefir, whatever you're into. (No EBM available here- Sorry. Check out the Love Threadfor that.)

Newbies! We are sooo excited you're here. We hope you stay a while and never leave... unless it is because you become a mama.

Anyway, this thread was originally started to give those of us who are not yet parents a forum here at MDC to discuss the unique concerns of those who are into NFL, and excited about AP but don't have any munchkins to apply these concepts to...yet. (Although some of us have furbabies, young family members, students, etc. that we are involved with.)

As I mentioned, a few of us have gotten pregnant while here, others are TTC now, some in the next few years, some of us aren't even close. We've also had the occasional visitor that is a "Not Mama...EVER" ie, male nannies and such. We're happy to have all y'all!

So here we are. And here you are. Let the party begin!

NMY Offshoot Threads

NMY Graduates Love Thread
NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part Two
NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part Three
NMY Fitness Thread

Official NMY Status Roster
Getting to know you...getting to know all about you...

Post in the thread if you want your information added, updated, or changed. If it seems as if I didn't see it, send me a PM. Thanks!

Graduates

Katt, age 30 mama to Teotimo since 12/27/06
~Shanna~ mama to Fenton Edward since 3/26/07
Holiztic mama to Quinn since 4/13/07
BeccaBear, age 28 -mama to Alexander Lewis since 5/6/07
Rico'sAlice, age 27 - mama to Johannes Edward since 5/20/07
turtle81 , age 25 - mama to Phillip since 6/02/07
farmama, age 29 - mama to Natalina since 7/17/07
Maela, age 26 - mama to Maev since 7/17/07
jodib, age 29 - mama to Rosalie Jayne since 7/23/07
PiePie, age 36 - mama to since 8/16/07
arelyn, age 25 - mama to Micaiah since 8/16/07
hazieluna, age 35 - mama to Aidan Sebastian since 9/15/07
ATD_Mom, age 32 - mama to Alasdair since 9/16/07
Sihaya, age 24 - mama to Calvin since 12/22/07
GathererGirl, age 27

Pregnant

Alcyone, age 29
blizzard_babe
cking
snozzberry, age 29
witchygrrl, age 29
zoebird, age 31
babysnyder'smommy, age 25
MujerMamaMismo, age 29
Safigee, age 28
JessicaRenee
Texmati

TTC Currently

binkin
DvlDg, age 24
MrsMiller, age 22
oneKnight, age 21
barose
CalaRei
CourtBChase
Kriket, age 24
MBFoley, age 32
Zejh, age 31
GuavaGirl, age 25
Mama Khi, age 30
Patronia, planning on August 2008
sphinxie, age 29, planning on Spring 2008
stretch358, age 31, planning on Summer 2008
LibertyBelle, planning on Mid-October 2008
willowbean
MamaDK
APBTlover
Angi

TTC 2009

AsYouWish
doulaLeah
crunchysamma
Hellga
MEcatlady17 -25
Monarchgrrl - 30
Knittinanny - 27
jaclyn7 - 24
Tippy
Bazile - 22
Oztok5, around...Aug, Sep, Oct
Jenne - 31

TTC 2010 and beyond

Charliemae, age 20
Just_Isabel, age 22
Kyamo, age 23
Lambsauce, age 18
Rico'sAlice, age 27 (TTC #2)
Shaina, age 20
Sk8ermaiden, age 23
CAndMe, age 19
Kimiij, age 24
ashcav
akaisha, age 22
Oiseau
Freud, age 25
Hesperia, age 21
JlyGrnMigt, age 29

Not Sure Yet

anonyma, age 33
asoulunbound, age 20
joiedevivre184, age 19
ladyinred, age 27
MsHelena, age 22
TwilightJoy, age 21
justbecca, age 21
MonkeyScience
Sage.Naissance
Andee, age 23
Neuromancer
helen_emily, age 22
Zephyrine, age 19

Planning to Adopt

w8ing4myDD, age 38, adopting from China in 2009/10
crunchysamma
justbecca
MamaDK

Birthdays

January
MamaDK...6th
Tippy...15th

February
Monkeyscience...5th
Akaisha...6th, 1986
snozzberry&#8230;Kelly&#8230;9th, 1978
Kyamo&#8230;10th
Sihaya&#8230;Steph&#8230;12th, 1983
Neuromancer...19th, 1977

March
Frog...2nd
justbecca...5th
stretch358&#8230;5th
Alcyone&#8230;Lorry&#8230;7th, 1978
CAndMe...8th
AsYouWish...13th, 1977

April
MujerMamaMismo&#8230;4th, 1979
Lambsauce&#8230;Allie&#8230;7th, 1989
Rico'sAlice&#8230;Alice&#8230;9th, 1980
JessicaRenee...10th, 1988
~Shanna~&#8230;14th
oneKnight&#8230;14th
anonyma&#8230;21st, 1974
willowbean....26th, 1979
CalaRei....27th
APBTlover

May
Binkin&#8230;4th
witchygrrl&#8230;12th
ashcav...22nd, 1987
blizzard_babe&#8230;Sara&#8230;24th, 1979
Patronia...29th

June
Sk8ermaiden...20, 1984
Jenne&#8230;24th
PiePie&#8230;27th
helen_emily

July
Angi...2nd, 1970
arelyn&#8230;4th, 1982
ladyinred&#8230; 4th, 1981
Kriket...5th, 1984
CourtBChase...11th
doulaLeah...14th, 1982
GatherGirl... 15th, 1982
Jaclyn...July 23, 1984

August
cking&#8230;Christina&#8230;4th
Oiseau...5th
Andee...9th, 1985
Charliemae&#8230;Charlene&#8230;14th, 1987
Sage.Naissance...28th
MEcatlady17

September
Kimiij...1st...1984
DvlDg...5th
babysnyder'smommy...6th
Bazile...7th, 1985
Hellga...16th, 1984
Mama Khi&#8230;25, 1977

October
JlyGrnMigt...8th...1979
BeccaBear&#8230;Rebecca&#8230;10th, 1979
MrsMiller&#8230;Barbara&#8230;12th, 1984
Hesperia...12th

November
zejh...18th
Monarchgrrl...20th, 1977

December
barose...1st
Shaina&#8230;5th, 1988
semisnotapirate&#8230;Sara&#8230;24th, 1984
Knittinanny...12th

Hey baby&#8230;what's your sign?

Capricorn
farmama
MamaDK
Tippy

Aquarius
Just_Isabel
Katt
Sihaya
snozzberry
monkeyscience
Akaisha

Pisces
Alcyone
AsYouWish
Holiztic
MsHelena
stretch358
justbecca
CAndMe
Frog
Neuromancer

Aries
MujerMamaMismo
oneKnight
Rico'sAlice
~Shanna~
JessicaRenee

Taurus
anonyma
binkin
wateraddict
witchygrrl
CalaRei
willowbean

Gemini
blizzard_babe
Maela
w8ing4myDD
Sk8ermaiden
Patronia
ashcav
helen_emily

Cancer
Jenne
PiePie
zoebird
doulaLeah
Angi
CourtBChase
kriket
Ladyinred
Kriket
MBFoley

Leo
Charliemae
cking
Andee
Oiseau
MEcatlady17
Jaclyn

Virgo
DvlDg
Kimiij
Sage.Naissance
Hellga
Bazile

Libra
BeccaBear
Mama Khi
MrsMiller
babysnyder'smommy
JlyGrnMigt
Hesperia

Scorpio
zejh
Monarchgrrl

Sagittarius
Shaina
barose
Knittinanny

Post in the thread if you want your information added, updated, or changed. If it seems as if I didn't see it, send me a PM and I will do my best to fix it. Thanks!


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## texmati

subbing! I didn't realize that there was info at the top of the thread. My name is aquarian... and we are very very very tentativly thinking 2009...*crosses fingers*

Plus I'm hindu... we say namaste!


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## kimiij

As much as it hurts me to say...

*Can I have my age changed to 24 in the first post?*

Anyways, I'm not the most frequent poster here but I'm looking forward to chatting more with you ladies...


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## texmati

Kimiij! 24's not old at all! I'm turning 27 soon, and am really, really not looking forward to it. I feel as though my youth has passed me by!

Really-- I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I really really never though that I would be 27 and not be a mom yet. It wasn't in my life plan at all. In fact-- can I have my age changed to 24 too?


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## jaclyn7

Thank you so much for starting this thread







. Could I have my birthday switched from June 23, 1984 to July 23, 1984? ETA: First day of Leo, too.

*Quiet weekend here, my last nablopomo post is tomorrow and I cannot think of anything to write. It's just that really wonderful time of year for me, when the cold hugs me close to home and my sweet and I spend more time in front of the tree than doing anything else...

Hope those that celebrated it had a wonderful American Thanksgiving.


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## helen_emily

Hi Ladies!

I was hoping I could join.







:

I'm 22 (my birthday is in June, Gemini!) and at the moment I'm working as a nanny, which I love. A mama I was babysitting for actually introduced me to MDC and I have learnt so much!

As far as TTC goes, I guess you can put me on the list under "not sure" hehe.

I had originally planned to TTC 2009 but have now changed plans completely - my partner isn't quite ready yet, so we're planning to travel Feb - June next year.
After that I'm going to study and get a Certificate in Children's services (which takes 10 months), and he is going to start an apprenticeship. So we won't be ttc till at least late 2009 depending on how everything is going.

Also, I am sure that at some point (hopefully soon) in my life I want to become a foster carer. In my experience of fostering (my aunt was a foster carer), the children coming into your care can have a lot of issues and might do better in a family where they can be the primary focus of your care. So I am contemplating going straight into foster care before TTC my own children.
It just seems so ridiculous that there are children and babies that need love and care, and I have all that to give. I would do my best to look after any child who needs care, any time, no questions asked.

A lot of my friends think I'm nuts for thinking about all this at my age though which makes me doubt myself sometimes... I'm happy to see some other "not-mamas" my age on here too









I hope that's everything... and not too much detail!

ETA: I forgot to mention that I live in Australia... but happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans here!


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## jaclyn7

Aquarian, I always assumed that I would be a mom at 24 and I cannot believe that it's not going to happen... no offense taken. We all have visions of how are lives will play out it, it's not an indictment of anyone else but being a young mom with a house full of kiddos was my dream and its interesting to see my dream take on a new shape.


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## jaclyn7

Wow, H-E - you're quick. Welcome







:

I think its so lovely that you are planning to foster!


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## helen_emily

Hey jaclyn, thanks for the welcome









I have always been drawn to the ideas of both foster and adopting. Adoption seems very complicated here in Australia but at the moment we need more good foster carers.
Having seen my aunt look after many "methadone babies" over a few years of my childhood is probably one factor that has helped me see my dreams more realistically - I know that it can sometimes be very very hard on the foster carer. The fact that I'm interested in looking after infants and younger children is the main reason I think it would be a good idea to try out fostering without having other children in the home - the babies my aunt fostered needed all of her energy all of the time!

As far as the "having children by..." dream goes, I have always seen myself with at least one baby by 25, which is totally different to everyone else my age I know...

Anyhow I don't mean to ramble on. Posting in here reminded me to update my sig, I hadn't done that for over a year I think! I tend to lurk and not post but I will try to be more active in here!


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## oiseau

.


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## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aquarian* 
Kimiij! 24's not old at all! I'm turning 27 soon, and am really, really not looking forward to it. I feel as though my youth has passed me by!

Really-- I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I really really never though that I would be 27 and not be a mom yet. It wasn't in my life plan at all. In fact-- can I have my age changed to 24 too?


I know that 24 isn't old. I guess it just doesn't feel good to get older and older without a partner and thus, without any sign of children in the near future. Just being impatient I guess.


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## Mama2Dane

I'm popping in again.







Since changing jobs in June, I haven't really been around much aside from lurking. The current position I have, I am _encouraged_ to go online when I'm bored so I'll probably be around a little more.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
Aquarian, I always assumed that I would be a mom at 24 and I cannot believe that it's not going to happen... no offense taken. We all have visions of how are lives will play out it, it's not an indictment of anyone else but being a young mom with a house full of kiddos was my dream and its interesting to see my dream take on a new shape.

Ditto. I'm still only 23, but it's not looking good on the baby front. We have a house to finish, unstable jobs, no health insurance... I want everything to just fall in place RIGHT NOW. I still hope for an accident, but I doubt that it'll happen.









*Helen_Emily*, I have an aunt that lives in Australia, along with her husband and two grown children. I think they live near Melbourne. I haven't heard from them in forever, but it piqued my interest. And everything I know about foster care makes it seem both difficult and _extremely_ rewarding. How does your partner feel about it?

*oiseau*, I love baby stuff browsing! That sounds like a perfect reward for a job well done.


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## helen_emily

Hey *Andee*







I don't live near Melbourne but I have been there and it's a lovely city. As far as my partner, his feelings on it are complicated. He hasn't really had experience with foster caring but he is open to the idea. Because his feelings about it have changed so much already (when I first brought it up he said never!) I try not to talk about it too much or it'll seem like nagging! His main reservation now is that he would prefer to have our own children first.
There are information sessions put on by the government so when we get back from travelling I hope we can go to one together and learn some more. I really hope that fostering is part of our journey together.
Put it this way: if he does decide that he's ready to have our own baby before 2011 then I will be overjoyed to concentrate on that instead, at least for a while!

I know what you mean about hoping for an accident...
we conceived accidentally early this year and it broke my heart when I miscarried. I have no idea how it even happened in the first place which made things even more tumultuous!
So now we have to be like, triple careful, and despite all that I still feel disappointed (and a little bit relieved) every month.


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## texmati

Helen_emily, I"m so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. That must be so hard.

DH and I have had a few pregnancy scares, so I know about that relived + dissapointed feeling. DH shocked me last night... I brought up kids and he said "well, we're just waiting on you, right?" I was shocked! Just a few months ago he seemed so unsure. Go figure







!


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## Mama2Dane

My DP's opinions have also changed so much since I met him. 5 years ago he was extremely against having children. He didn't care for them and certainly never wanted to be a father. Somehow aging a little has tilted his view.







Now we're just waiting for things to fall into place before we ttc.

*Helen_Emily*, I'm very sorry to here about your miscarriage. I can't imagine what that would've felt like. I do understand the disappointment/relief with every new cycle. I wouldn't say I've had pregnancy scares, but there were times where conception was very possible. Even though I know the time isn't right yet, I can't keep myself from anxiously hoping...

*Texmati*, congrats on the name change.


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## w8ing4myDD

Hey there! I'm back too!
Haven't been around here much lately, but we're still waiting on our referral from China....
..maybe 09, maybe 2010...arrrg....

...and for those of you feeling old, I'm 38 now!

Welcome all newbies! Looking forward to some fun convos....

lisa


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## justbecca

I'm coming back! Life's been crazy, this semester kicked my butt, and i don't have internet at home (kinda) so i disapeared for a while. I'm bumming my neighbor's wireless right now, aptly named bushidiot, so i'm around. Sage reminded me in another thread i haven't been back in a while, so here i am!

i also thought you guys might understand and appreciate a couple pictures without laughing at me like my friends might...my little kitty has cerebellar hypoplasia, basically kitty Cerebral palsy. She walks funny, took 6 months to learn to eat solid food, and takes some extra grooming work and such. She's also the happiest cat i've ever met (and i've met a lot!) . She goes through phases where she wants to be attached to me at all times, and it can get a little difficult, so, what's a crunchy mama-wannabe to do?

THIS! http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=291p9hu&s=4

becca


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## Jenne

: I go away for just a few days and what do y'all do? Get lost! Hurmph. I had to come track y'all down after you _*abandoned*_ the other thread. Hmph.














:








THANKS for the new THREAD! I was getting a little tired of summer myself. Especially cause it snowed where I was this morning.







Yay! Winter!

News? Let's see. I have a UTI. Yep. This will be antibiotic #3 for me in less than 9 months. I feel like I have been sick nonstop since April. Grrr. Sucks. I hadn't been on an antibiotic since Feb. 2001 prior to this year...what gives? I'm taking Vitamin C, prenatals, and acidophilus but it doesn't seem to be keeping me well.







: Oh, and I love the ER visit, doctor's visit, and Urgent care center visit this took to get a diagnosis. I also love voiding blood. That isn't SCARY as all heck!

New topic: If you were pregnant and had an ultrasound and gave a copy to your mom or your partner's mom would it get hung on the fridge? Just curious. My m-in-l didn't hang up hers up from my s-in-l and I think that is odd so I'm just polling people I know.

Thanksgiving was okay. Lots of driving in the care, pain, blood, and peeing.







Always a fun time. I got to see my brother and grandparents which was fantastic.







Inlaws were okay. Not good. But okay. It's a step in the right directions at least.









I haven't had a period since June. I'm thining of starting Vitex. Anyone here tried it? What do you think? Is there something else I should do to trigger flow?

How was everyone else's weekend? Those with Thanksgiving celebrations how were they?

Jenne

Oh, and I'm now 31. And I guess put me in 2009???? Scary.


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## jaclyn7

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
If you were pregnant and had an ultrasound and gave a copy to your mom or your partner's mom would it get hung on the fridge? Just curious. My m-in-l didn't hang up hers up from my s-in-l and I think that is odd so I'm just polling people I know.

Hmm, hard to say. A lot of older people are more superstitous, but then again some people don't like lots of bits here and there. I'll probably give one framed, but then again who wants all that stuff? Its great for you as the parent, but I don't know... who knows, I could just be very odd.

Sorry about all your health stuff







No real advice, I wonder if its all connected though, what did they say to you? Have you tried cranberry pills or natural organic cranberry juice? My friend swears by it and apple cidar vinegar.


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## terrordactyl

i had to come looking for you guys what the heck no link









anyways can you change my age in the beggining thread to 20 since thats what i will be on Friday


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## zejh

I'm also 31, as of my birthday!

Had an excellent Thanksgiving--cooked everything with my mom in my kitchen here, so it was me, dh, and my parents in our new apartment. (Our first year in it, I mean--the apartment is rather old, and the oven in our kitchen is around 60 years old, works great, though!)

Oh, and I finished nanowrimo! I'm a winner.







Now just to write another 50,000 words so there's something of a plot...


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## oiseau

.


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## Kyamo

I'm not sure. My parents would be glad to get it and see it, but I'm not sure they'd put it on the fridge. I think they might feel it was kinda medical/private and not really to be displayed?
My parents-in-law have a blank fridge, but they might display it somewhere else. Again, not sure.
I wouldn't really care either way, provided of course that the pregnancy was no longer a secret.


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## Jenne




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## GuavaGirl

So, a little bit of exciting news for me......

I've really been feeling the baby fever lately. Like, to the point of crying about it, etc.
My poor DH is so confused and shocked at the power of the female maternal instinct.







We had planned to wait for another year (until he's done w/school), but really if we got pregnant now, it would be fine. (we have health insurance, a spare bedroom, good health, sort of enough money) So, we had a heart to heart and by the end of the convo he said that he thought we should just start now. I was so excited! I'm gonna give him a few days to think it over, but for right now, the ball is basically in my court. As soon as I'm ready we're going to start TTC!!!!!!!

I feel excited, intimidated, joyful, and like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

FYI, I turned 25 in oct. & been married for 3.5 years.

( Oh! and if you want to see us in our awesome Halloween costumes, click on my name below, then scroll down to the second post. )


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## knittinanny

Guava, those are bee-utiful!







: No really, you did a good job. I wish my cat would let me make her costumes. Congrats on being about ready to start TTC!

The 3 month mark is approaching for me and I'm starting to get a little nervous. I mean, besides not being sure how we're going to pay for the treatments (things will work out), I feel way more prepared to have a baby than anyone I know IRL, but I still feel like there's so much more I could do to get ready. But then again, I like to obsess about things.


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## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *justbecca* 
She goes through phases where she wants to be attached to me at all times, and it can get a little difficult, so, what's a crunchy mama-wannabe to do?

THIS! http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=291p9hu&s=4

becca

That's too fantastic! I wonder if my cat would go for that. He's been _really_ clingy since we moved.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
THANKS for the new THREAD! I was getting a little tired of summer myself. Especially cause it snowed where I was this morning.







Yay! Winter!

...

New topic: If you were pregnant and had an ultrasound and gave a copy to your mom or your partner's mom would it get hung on the fridge? Just curious. My m-in-l didn't hang up hers up from my s-in-l and I think that is odd so I'm just polling people I know.

It started snowing here in Michigan last night too. I think we got something like 6 or 7 inches overnight and we're supposed to get more. I love how beautiful it is, but WOW it's cold!

With the ultrasound question, if I got one I think my mom would just take the picture to work and show it off. She isn't much of a "picture on the fridge" kind of woman. I don't know what my future MIL would do. After 5 years of being with my DP, I've still never met her because she lives in Florida. We keep wanting to vacation there (now would be a good time!














, but it never works out with work and money.









*GuavaGirl*, Congratulations!! I hope for you two a short wait.







Are you temping at all?


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## jimblejamble

Here I am!

Can I be switched to "TTC currently" pleeeease?


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## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
Here I am!

Can I be switched to "TTC currently" pleeeease? 

Oh, yeah, come to think of it I should be on "currently" too, though at this point in the year "2008" pretty much means the same thing...


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## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
Here I am!

Can I be switched to "TTC currently" pleeeease? 

Congrats! So everything has worked itself out?


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## JlyGrnMigt

iirc, GathererGirl had her baby, so can be moved to the graduates list.

I'm 29







, and I guess we're aiming for 2010. Well, after the wedding at least, and ideally timed to avoid both birth in China or an expensive flight home to avoid birth in China.









He held a baby on Thanksgiving though, which was awkward and awesome. He said he liked it! I think it's time to change my sig...


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## ladyinred

Yay new thread!







:







:

RE: UTI Jenne - If you can get ahold of this herb called Uva Ursi (Bear berry) it's really effective. The last UTI I had got pretty bad but with uva ursi, tons of garlic (DF thought that part was hilarious and stinky) plus some cranberry juice without sugar I managed to get rid of it without anti-biotics. I was having a real string of them and the thing is the anti-biotics get rid of the good bacteria that help combat the UTI's in the first place so make sure you take tons of pro-biotics to help rebuild your natural immunity.

RE: cat sling justbecca - DF and I need to get one of these. One of our cats is so clingy with DF and just wants to be carried around all the time when he gets home from work

RE: TTC - Congrats JessicaRenee and GuavaGirl and zejh







:







: Wishing you lots of happy sticky baby vibes

Can I get my age changed to 27 on the intro? We're still not sure when we're going to start TTC, it seems like it's not going to be for a long time though. But the last time I got really weepy about babies DF decided that we are no longer simply DTD we are practicing to TTC with protection!


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## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
Congrats! So everything has worked itself out?

Not completely, but we're getting there. A month ago, Chris would barely touch me and I'd kick him away. Now he gets about halfway in. YAAAAY!


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## GuavaGirl

Andee: Yeah, I actually just started temping. I re-skimmed TCOYF a couple days ago. I've been charting just AF and CM for about a year. I think taking my temp. at the same time every morning is going to be hard, because at this time in my life I don't have a very regular sleep schedule. I wonder how much it will affect the accuracy.


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## oiseau

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
Not completely, but we're getting there. A month ago, Chris would barely touch me and I'd kick him away. Now he gets about halfway in. YAAAAY!

That's totally awesome!! I'm happy to hear that things are going so much better!!







:


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## Kyamo

Wow! So many people TTC now!

I'm not TTC, but I'm having one of those times where I have myself half-convinced I might be pregnant. I'm still on the pill, so most likely not, but I have better reasons this time than some other times.


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## CAndMe

Hi all, I am crazy busy right now with finals and everything. So sorry about the delay. I'll be back at the end of the week to update everything.


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## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
Not completely, but we're getting there. A month ago, Chris would barely touch me and I'd kick him away. Now he gets about halfway in. YAAAAY!

That's great!







: Sending you some baby dust


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## jimblejamble

:


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## ladyinred

I'm trying to think of a Christmas present for a couple who have just found out they're pregnant with their first baby. I'm thinking a book since they're both book type people. Any suggestions? I'm not too sure where they're going to fit on the baby raising AP continum but they're pretty green and have some friends who are are AP but I don't want to be pushy and be like "This is what I want to do when I have a baby so you should try it too







" or something like that. I'm really happy for them. They've been trying for a long while.







:







:


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## GuavaGirl

*ladyinred:* I just gave a gift to a couple who just found out they're having a baby. They've been trying for a year, so it was really exciting. I ended up getting them a cute hallmark card specifically for Pregnancy congratulations, and then I got a pregnancy journal for her. It was specifically made for recording pregnancy events and there were pages to fill out things like "How did you first find out", "Post 1st ultrasound and big belly pic here", "What have your cravings been", "List potential baby names", etc. I thought it was pretty cute, and I'm totally gonna do something like that when I'm pregnant.

Oh! I'd check out etsy for some unique pregnancy related gifts too.


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## kimiij

What about a subscription to Mothering magazine?

As far as books:

Thinking women's guide to a better birth by Henci Goer
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
Birthing from Within by Pam England
Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin


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## terrordactyl

books:

anything by Dr.Sears is good since its by a well known family/baby doctor


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## Mama2Dane

I would love a subscription to Mothering when I get pregnant.








I love the idea of giving them a book. Also, you could start stocking them up on essentials like cloth diapers (if they plan to use them), baby toys, or baby clothes. When I had a friend that had just found out before Christmas, I gave some organic clothes and a little toy wrapped in a baby blanket with ribbon.


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## tippy

subbing...

i haven't been around in a while. i've had a terribly busy couple of months with school and work, but classes are over for the semester, so i'm back!!


----------



## jimblejamble

On an ever-so-slightly unrelated note...tomorrow is our 5-month anniversary!







:


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## texmati

Happy Anniversary, Jessica!!!


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## terrordactyl

happy anniversary Jessica

on another note i got a *tattoo*
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v4...t=tattoo-1.jpg


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## Mama2Dane

Happy Anniversary, Jessica!!!









Nice tattoo, Shaina. What's the story behind it?


----------



## ladyinred

Happy anniversary Jessica!

Nice tatoo Shaina!

Thanks for the advice everyone. Happy weekend!







:


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
Happy Anniversary, Jessica!!!









Nice tattoo, Shaina. What's the story behind it?

not to much of a story its my fav quote. and i've realized lately that you need live where your heart wants to be because if you dont you'll be miserable


----------



## Sage.Naissance

RE: Vitex (for Jenne I think)
I am supposed to be doing a three month treatment of vitex. I havent gotten very far with it because it tastes so horrendously bad I cant seem to bring myself to take it every day. I have both tincture and tea. I found the secret to taking it was to put tincture drops in a shot glass, put in a teeny bit of hot water to help evapourate the alcohol and squeeze in a wee bit of lime. Somehow it just went down easier that way. It does definitely work for regulating hormones. If you want to induce menstruation you could use a sprig of parsley vaginally, or take a lot of ginger tea. Among other things... I could look some more up but those are the ones I think of off the top of my head.

As for me... I had a crazy week and am feeling a bit shaken up. Read my blog for details.


----------



## Jenne

Sage- Thanks for the advice! For some reason I had assumed Chasteberry/Vitex was pills. Eeewww. I'm not sure I can do a liquid. Hmmm. I'm gonna go to the herbalist on Monday so we'll see. A sprig of parsley? Really? Hmmm. Do you know anyone who has actually done this? Will it bring on menses or is it to regulate menses? How long does it need to be there? How many times? Hmmm. I eat an awful lot of ginger. I haven't noticed any effect.

As for your blog...yeah...that's complicated.







I'm glad you found the tenderness and such that you were needing. Sometimes friends make the best more-than-friends.









Jenne


----------



## jaclyn7

Good Sunday all, I hope a lovely weekend was shared by all.

Sage, complicated, imperfectly perfect, lovely, and probably just what was needed by both of you









Love the quote and tattoo. I'm trying to schedule an appointment sooner than later to have a swallow place on my left wrist.

We might try this week, but as the days grow closer I'm scared and wonder if I will ever be ready. I guess I'll just have to jump in feet first and go back to our original plan of taking it day by day, casually not not trying - but January seems like I better idea. That is until I see a sweet babe and my heart melts and I forget about the last 10 lbs. I want to lose...


----------



## Zephyrine

I'm wondering if I could join this group.
I'm nineteen, and with no plans for children for the next 5 years anyways.


----------



## CAndMe

Ok, I think we are officially updated. Sorry for the delay. Congrats to those currently TTC. GuavaGirl, I put you in TTC if that's ok.

Shaina, It's beautiful!

So I presented my childbirth film in class on Friday and it went really well. The professor seemed impressed and the whole class (58 women, 2 gay dudes) had sooo many questions about childbirth options and why don't we know this and how does it work when you have a midwife, etc. It was really great. But alas, more time for some more finals this week. So psyched for Christmas though!


----------



## helen_emily

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
RE: Vitex (for Jenne I think)
If you want to induce menstruation you could use a sprig of parsley vaginally, or take a lot of ginger tea. Among other things... I could look some more up but those are the ones I think of off the top of my head.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
A sprig of parsley? Really? Hmmm. Do you know anyone who has actually done this? Will it bring on menses or is it to regulate menses? How long does it need to be there? How many times? Hmmm. I eat an awful lot of ginger. I haven't noticed any effect.

*Jenne*, I have actually used a combination of mega-dosing vit C and parsley to bring on menstruation a couple of years ago.

As far as the parsley goes, I actually brewed up pots of parsley tea and drank that constantly during the day.
I also made a parsley "pessary" by separating the leaves from the stems then kind of rolling the leaves into a ball for insertion. Make sure they're way up near the entrance to your cervix. I did a pessary for three nights and tea during the day for the two days. The third morning I woke up with my menses.

I had also been mega-dosing vit C for two days before starting the parsley treatment (so 5 days total) but if you're just bringing on a late period, the parsley might (should) help.
It softens the cervix I believe?

My cycle was very irregular at this time and I used a combination of vitamin E and C to regulate it. I can tell you more about that if you want?

HTH and wasn't too much info









*Sage.Naissance* I am really curious to know where you found info about using a ginger tea to bring on menses? My pregnant friend is currently using ginger tea to help control her extreme morning sickness... I had no idea it has any effect on your cycle, could it cause issues for her pregnancy?


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## texmati

Shaina! What a wonderful tattoo. I'm jealous-- I'm terrified of needles, I know I'll never get one.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Zephyrine* 
I'm wondering if I could join this group.
I'm nineteen, and with no plans for children for the next 5 years anyways.

I don't think I would be out of line to say








Pull up a chair and make yourself comfy!


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## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
Shaina! What a wonderful tattoo. I'm jealous-- I'm terrified of needles, I know I'll never get one.

aww thank you. ya it didnt really hurt for me, have you ever seen a tattoo gun? it doesnt really look like a needle at all actually









Welcome Zephyrine

update:

so new with me I'm moving back to colorado here in a few weeks and i am so excited it was time for me to make a decision for what i needed in my life in the moment not just in the long term of things. I'm getting an apartment with one of my really good girlfriends and i'm super excited i plan on moving up there as soon as i can find a car to buy which is definitely turning into a hassle.
on another note i started dating this guy who is definitely a cutie i'll post a picture here soon. at the moment i'm not sure if its going to turn into a super serious relationship but it is nice to be having sex again and he's a super sweetheart he came down from CO (4 hours) just to spend one day with me for my birthday last friday so he's a keeper for the moment. other than that not much else is going on. just living each day..day by day


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## jaclyn7

Welcome Zephyrine!

Happy Monday to the rest. Anyone have snow pictures to share? I'm getting restless and longing for some winter white!


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## Sage.Naissance

Quote:

Sage.Naissance I am really curious to know where you found info about using a ginger tea to bring on menses? My pregnant friend is currently using ginger tea to help control her extreme morning sickness... I had no idea it has any effect on your cycle, could it cause issues for her pregnancy?
Medicinal doses of ginger are an abortificant. Simple ginger teas would not be sufficient to induce abortion(though I would be concerned about anyone with a tendancy to miscarry) but very high amounts of ginger in combination with other things can do it. I am talking the strength I would use to fight off a nasty cold, where I would boil an inch of root for ten minutes until its almost as dark as beer and drink that several times a day(no more than four though). This information comes from several sources primarily Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing year by Susun Weed.

Parsley is an emmenogogue so it induces menstruation, not regulates it. Vitex is a hormonal alterative that regulates it.

Let me pull out my trusty wise woman herbal...

Other emmenogogues:
Tansy leaves(tanacetum vulgare)
Pennyroyal leaves (hedeoma pulegioides) Tincture 20 drops in hot water, up to three cups per day, up to five days
And as mentioned before: vitamin c

Thanks for reading about my lusty week guys! hehe. Sometimes its fun to kiss and tell.


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
Welcome Zephyrine!

Happy Monday to the rest. Anyone have snow pictures to share? I'm getting restless and longing for some winter white!





































I'm freezing and everything's covered in snow up here in New Brunswick







: No pictures yet. I should go take some though. We had -27C wind chill yesterday. Tomorrow it's meant to go up to 10C with rain. Crazy weather makes lots of mess  I like the snow, not the mess.


----------



## helen_emily

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Parsley is an emmenogogue so it induces menstruation, not regulates it. Vitex is a hormonal alterative that regulates it.

Let me pull out my trusty wise woman herbal...

Oooh thanks for your detailed reply. I have never been sure whether we're allowed to talk about some of this stuff at MDC to be honest. But I would love to learn more if you have any good website recommendations (or even books... although I'm trying not to buy so many hehe)

I think my friend should be ok, she doesn't actually like ginger at all so she's using the minimum she can to help her symptoms. Thanks for the explaination









I've never heard of Vitex before, I'll have to do some reading about it!


----------



## GuavaGirl

So, I just wanted to let everyone know that I finally have my art showing at my favorite local coffee shop in town!

I posted pictures on my blog.


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuavaGirl* 
So, I just wanted to let everyone know that I finally have my art showing at my favorite local coffee shop in town!

I posted pictures on my blog.

Cool!








(One of these days I'd like to be organized enough to be able to do that with my art.)


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## oiseau

.


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## tippy

oiseau - hope you feel better! and good luck with all the possible transitions!

guavagirl - i <3 ur work. it's amazing! good luck at the showing!


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## Zephyrine

Thanks for the welcome.
I'm up to my knees in snow here too. I currently reside in northern Ontario while attending university.


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## Jenne

I am so stressed! I'm trying to get my house all packed up and ready to be painted and carpeted before we leave for our honeymoon on Sunday. Crazy! Oh, and working too. And getting new employees ready to start the first of January. And take care of Christmas planning. And figuring out where we are going to live while my house is on the market. And...and...and...

Calgon! Take me away!

I started Vitex this morning. I decided although I bought the pills, to do the tincture this week since I have OJ available and take the pills on the honeymoon cause they would be easier. I started with 1ml every morning this week. Then next week I'll move to 1 pill in the AM and 1 in the PM. I am hoping that is right. The tincture doesn't have how many mg of stuff is in it.

DH is wanting help moving boxes so I'm gonna go help...

exciting news guava girl about the show...oiseau follow your heart...thank you sage for the info...welcome new NMYers.

OH! And BFF confided they are going to stop preventing in February...exciting times!


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## Kyamo

There's not a ton of snow here, though the ground is covered. However, after all that rain, its now an ice rink everywhere. I took the bus to work yesterday instead of walking because I was having to walk half as fast and didn't want to be late.

I'm still wondering if I might be pregnant (please tell me I'm not the only one that does this, becoming half-convinced I'm pregnant despite chances being really low?). I guess I'll probably have my bubble burst next week as I'm nearly done this pack of pills. It'll be good to know rather than keep wondering though.

We're leaving on the 20th to visit in-laws (9.5 hr drive) so I'm rushing around trying to get everything done before we go.


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## jimblejamble

We're moving out to Utah on the 19th and we don't have an apartment or even jobs yet! Scary! Chris' sister is going to go look at a couple places or us tomorrow.


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## GuavaGirl

Kyamo: oh, you're definitely not the only who thinks she pregnant...even in times of very low odds.


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## Sage.Naissance

Kyamo, I had protected sex once the day after my period once and thought I was pregnant... Every logical thing in the world screamed that I was not pregnant but somehow I thought that I would be.
Interestingly enough after a week long love affair of, I'll be honest, a lot of sex(protected still of course) while I was ovulating and I havent even worried a bit about it... Maybe its because in the first scenario it would be an absolute true disaster, and in the latter case it would at least be with someone I love, so I didnt panic.
Jenne, good luck with the vitex!! It should work well. Please remember not to take it for longer than three months. It is an alterative and should get you on the right track and you shouldnt need to be taking it longer than that. If things dont resolve themselves on the vitex after 3 months, I encourage you to see a naturopath. I am not sure if it is generally the case but I was instructed to stop vitex on my bleeding days. I am not sure who advised you to take it but I would see whether this would be the case with you.

I am always happy to share what info I have!

Things are getting pretty good for me. I am happy. Perhaps just feeling better after having some much needed sex, but its good. I also may have a date soon. A friend of a friend who is just exceedingly handsome has shown an interest in me, and I let it be known that were he to ask me on a date, I would say yes. I have no expectations of it going anywhere serious, but I look forward to a fun few dates. Portland is starting to feel like home.

I am not sure if I told you guys I am moving. I am moving into a wonderful place with some really great people who suit me more. Unfortunately my current roomate(who owns our house) is pissed at me for moving and has resorted to passive agressive notes, and making judgements about my lifestyle! I am welcoming this transition.

I am working on building up a doula collective here and so far it is looking wonderful. I cant wait to see what happens with it! It's all very exciting.

Zephryne, where in Ontario are you? I am from Ontario originally. Sometimes I get an intense craving to move to Toronto, I have to squash it but I have come full circle from hating that city to loving it. It is so kind to me.


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Zephryne, where in Ontario are you? I am from Ontario originally. Sometimes I get an intense craving to move to Toronto, I have to squash it but I have come full circle from hating that city to loving it. It is so kind to me.

I know you weren't asking me, but I live in Toronto.


----------



## tippy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kyamo* 
There's not a ton of snow here, though the ground is covered. However, after all that rain, its now an ice rink everywhere. I took the bus to work yesterday instead of walking because I was having to walk half as fast and didn't want to be late.

I'm still wondering if I might be pregnant (please tell me I'm not the only one that does this, becoming half-convinced I'm pregnant despite chances being really low?). I guess I'll probably have my bubble burst next week as I'm nearly done this pack of pills. It'll be good to know rather than keep wondering though.

We're leaving on the 20th to visit in-laws (9.5 hr drive) so I'm rushing around trying to get everything done before we go.









you are definitely not the only one!


----------



## Mama2Dane

*Kyamo*, I'll just add one more voice the "you're not alone" chorus.







We're definetly not ttc yet, but we're not doing a whole lot of anything for prevention either. Just this cycle I had myself so convinced that we got pregnant. Everything screamed symptom to me -- heartburn, exaustion, slight cramps, etc.. I've finally just come to the conclusion that my PMS symptoms _look_ like pregnancy, therefore I'll never actually know until I miss a period.









*Sage* (as well as anyone else), I think you might enjoy this website about passive-aggressive notes. I found the book in Barnes and Noble one day recently while browsing, and you made me think of it.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Oiseau I am sorry to hear about your colonscopy... I have the deepest sympathies. My father has gone through a number of them. Actually I was at a christmas party in an older and a lot of colonscopy jokes started going around... then all of the fifty-somethings looked at us 20-somethings and were like... oh my god we sound so old...
Oh passive agressive notes... I will entertain myself for a while with that. I have seen the site before but it will bring some much needed light to my situation.
Cheers girls.


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## Kyamo

Sorry oiseau. I hope you figure out what's causing it.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I've finally just come to the conclusion that my PMS symptoms _look_ like pregnancy, therefore I'll never actually know until I miss a period.









Yep, that's why its so easy to get convinced. EVERY pregnancy symptom could be something else instead. Breast pain? Pregnancy or PMS or just random. Nausea? Pregnancy or ate something bad or gas or getting sick. Spotting? Implantation bleeding, or took a pill late, or sex caused it, or random. Cramps? Pregnancy or periods coming. Extra tired? Pregnancy or stayed up too late or stress or coming down with a cold. Etc etc etc.

This time for me, it was a one-time blob of bright red blood 3 weeks ago, and more than usual breast pains for the last 2 weeks. I know, I'm being stupid.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Kyamo, say hi to Toronto for me! What neighbourhood do you live in?


----------



## Jenne

I'm finishing up packing and getting ready to drop into bed...but I had to post. In the "I know I'm not pregnant but what if I am category"--I POAS today since both yesterday AM and this AM immediately after breakfast I got sick. BFN (of course) and after I did it I thought, "Well, that was $5 down the drain. How in the world could you be pregnant you haven't had a cycle since June!!!" And then I laughed...

So, we are going on our honeymoon TOMORROW!!!! So excited.

Oiseau-have you had your allergies tested? Particularly since you just came off some antibiotics you might look into that. I had an Upper GI thing done (I didn't want the colonoscopy too) for nothing as it turned out to be a corn, onion, and garlic allergy...either way I hope you feel better soon.

Everyone have a wonderful week!







See ya soon!
















Jenne


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## jimblejamble

WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!!!







:







:


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!!!







:







:

Congratulations! I am so happy for you two







:

Sending you some baby dust


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee*
WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!!!

WOOOOOOT!!!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
BFN (of course) and after I did it I thought, "Well, that was $5 down the drain.

I bought one today from Dollarama for $1. I have seen them at Dollar Tree in the States for $1 too.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SageNaissance*
Kyamo, say hi to Toronto for me! What neighbourhood do you live in?

PMing you.


----------



## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
Congratulations! I am so happy for you two







:

Sending you some baby dust









Thanks! Apparently I will be able to conceive on/around the 24th. Woohoo!


----------



## oiseau

yay! I'm so glad you finally got everything to work out!!! Be sure to enjoy it while you're working on procreating ;-)


----------



## GuavaGirl

This is random, but I need some advice.

I want to tell a family that I've recently started babysitting for, that I want to quit, but I can't think of a way to do it w/o sounding insulting. I live in a smallish town, so I'll probably see them from time to time, and I just don't want it to be weird.

The reason is that their son has got some bad behavior and it really stresses me out. I have stress/anxiety issues and I'm really trying to get that all down to a minimum esp. since we're TTC.

I'm a good babysitter. I babysit for several other families so I know kids aren't perfect, but this kid seriously raises my blood pressure. (well, it feels like it.)
Plus, their last babysitter quit too, so I know it's not me.

Anyway, what would you say?

Thanks!


----------



## tippy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuavaGirl* 
This is random, but I need some advice.

I want to tell a family that I've recently started babysitting for, that I want to quit, but I can't think of a way to do it w/o sounding insulting. I live in a smallish town, so I'll probably see them from time to time, and I just don't want it to be weird.

The reason is that their son has got some bad behavior and it really stresses me out. I have stress/anxiety issues and I'm really trying to get that all down to a minimum esp. since we're TTC.

I'm a good babysitter. I babysit for several other families so I know kids aren't perfect, but this kid seriously raises my blood pressure. (well, it feels like it.)
Plus, their last babysitter quit too, so I know it's not me.

Anyway, what would you say?

Thanks!

*guavagirl* - i would probably say something along the lines of this "i'm sorry, for personal reasons i am going to have to stop babysitting for you". i'm a non-confrontational person, and i really hate to cause drama for myself, so i would keep it vague. if they kept pressing you for reasons, you could mention that you are TTC and are trying not to cut back on what you've been doing.


----------



## GuavaGirl

Thanks tippy! That makes me feel better. I just sent the email, and then I think you were posting this at the same time. I feel better though, because I wrote something along the same lines of what you said. I think it's pretty funny that I asked about this on here, cause it's really not that big of a deal, but at the time, it seems like it, ya know? ...and I always get scared that people are going to get really mad at me.....and take away my birthday...or something like that.









Here's what I wrote:

Hi Christina,

I actually won't be able to babysit on Tuesday.

Also, I'm really sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to babysit for you in the future either. I love your family, and you've been nothing but nice, but the truth is, Jordan can really stress me out. I have some issues with anxiety (physical symptoms with my hands) that I'm really working to lessen/eliminate, especially since we've recently decided to start trying to have a baby, and at this time, it's just really not healthy for me.

This is hard for me to do, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Wishing you the best,

Alisha


----------



## APBTlover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!!!







:







:


Yay!!!!







:







:


----------



## GuavaGirl

So I just called and made an appt. for "preconception visit." I was a little disappointed because the receptionist wasn't really sure what I was talking about. I've read about making an appt. like that (on here, and other sites) and I thought it would be a little more well known. Now I'm kind of scared of getting there and them being like "uh, what exactly do you want?" There is one midwife that works there, but she only meets with you if you're already pregnant. (& that's the only midwife in my town!)

I'll let you know how it goes. It's on Wednesday.

Has anyone else done this before?


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT!!!







:







:

yay!!!!!





















: i'm so happy for you


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GuavaGirl* 
So I just called and made an appt. for "preconception visit." I was a little disappointed because the receptionist wasn't really sure what I was talking about. I've read about making an appt. like that (on here, and other sites) and I thought it would be a little more well known. Now I'm kind of scared of getting there and them being like "uh, what exactly do you want?" There is one midwife that works there, but she only meets with you if you're already pregnant. (& that's the only midwife in my town!)

I'll let you know how it goes. It's on Wednesday.

Has anyone else done this before?


Who did you make an appointment with? Family doctor? ObGyn? Midwife?







:

I've never heard of a preconception appointment. At my regular physicals, my family doctor has asked me about my plans though, and basically just told me to start taking prenatals before TTC.


----------



## CAndMe

Jessica, that's awesome. I'm glad you guys were able to get through it.







heres to doin' it.


----------



## GuavaGirl

Kyamo: It was an "Ob/gyn Midwifery Center" I think it's like the hospitals birthing center and it has 1 midwife.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Independant midwives are probably more accustomed to such visits.
I think they can be valuable for people who want to conceive. I would be interested in addressing fertility issues, screening for STIs, discussing nutrition, checking pre-pregnancy normal blood pressure. I would be looking to see if you had recently been on the pill and see if we could straighten any hormone issues out before trying to conceive... I am not a midwife yet but those would be my considerations. I think that is a good idea, but yeah, an OBs office might be a little confused as to why you would want to do anything like that. I would actually reccomend doing an appointment like that with a naturopathic midwife or an independant midwife personally, they might have more of value to offer. What are your goals surrounding this appointment.

Jessica, congratulations on your sexual success! I am so happy for you. As was mentioned before, enjoy it. sex can be so wonderful once you get the hang of it. Be patient with yourself regarding conception and the sexual progress you make in general. Dont put pressure on yourself or him to conceive, first get accustomed to the act, and start to enjoy it, and it should come naturally from there. Be well, darling.

Guava girl. I have had to quit full time nanny jobs for similar reasons... except it was the parents stressing me out rather than the kids! I always find the grown ups way harder to handle! I hope they take it well and that you have success in getting a handle on your anxiety. I have made a lot of progress i that area over the last few years. If you want to talk pm me.

So, what are everyone's holiday plans?

I have a big family christmas/recital happening here where I have to play the piano for my whole family and their suburban neighbours on the 21st.. and I only have been playing for like two months.
Then I head to my aunt and uncles about an hour and a half south to hang out for a week, and relax. We are having a 7 course dinner on christmas night with about ten of their friends. I am really looking forward to that!
Then once I get back from there I will be moving into my new amazing house!! And then on January 6 I find out whether I got into school (holy crap! Seriously, I am terrified to find out). No new years plans though.


----------



## Kyamo

Had to use the divacup today. Not pregnant.







:

Holidays... leaving on Saturday for the in-laws, 9.5 hour drive, blah. Being there is pretty boring, but I'll get a lot of knitting done. Coming back the 30th, working 31st and 1st. Visiting my parents on the 2nd (only 20 mins away). Then back to the regular schedule.

The beginning of 2009 also marks time to re-apply to the school board though. Eek.


----------



## ladyinred

I'm a bit behind on the thread but congrats Jessica, that's wonderful.







:







:

GuavaGirl - I think you did the right thing. We spend so much of our time working and if that work is causing you stress and it's only part of what you do for work, it's good to stick to those jobs that don't cause you so much anxiety and stress, especially if you're TTC.

Kyamo - I'm sorry to hear you're not pregnant yet ( but yay divacup!) I'm sure it will happen when it's meant to happen









I got to buy a baby sling for someone today for a present. It was fun looking at all kinds of baby stuff. I nearly got them a Dr. Sears book I found but I don't know, if felt too... pushy. Like this is what I want for when I have a baby so you should want this too. I don't know, I probably read too much into things.

Anyway, the sling I bought comes in three sizes based on the person who's wearing it's size. I'm pretty small but the people I'm buying for are both much taller and bigger than me and the lady at the store looked at me like I was crazy till I explained it wasn't for me. I hope it fits. They still have about 6 months left before the baby comes but I'm so excited







It's hard having so many people around me with babies sometimes but I love oogling them









This is going to be Df's first Christmas with my family hopefully, as long as the weather doesn't turn terrible. We're driving about 6 hours on Christmas Eve to go stay at my Aunt's house and hang out with my mom's side of the family for three days. May stop in on my Dad's side on the way home. Not sure if Df's ready for that though. That side of the family's much more religious and straight laced. We'll see. Happy Holidays everyone!


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
I got to buy a baby sling for someone today for a present. It was fun looking at all kinds of baby stuff. I nearly got them a Dr. Sears book I found but I don't know, if felt too... pushy. Like this is what I want for when I have a baby so you should want this too. I don't know, I probably read too much into things.

I know what you mean. I get kind of nervous too when I'm picking out baby gifts. I often want to get things that I would want for myself and so I have to edit my gift choices. I still get them something in line with my thinking but I don't go overboard.


----------



## CAndMe

Hey all!
Holiday plans-wise Chris and I will have a Christmas eve dinner at my mom's (maybe go see his parents during the day, if he wants) then on Christmas day we drive up to NY and visit my dad and little sister for a few days. Then I have to come back to do inventory at the store.







:


----------



## tippy

for the holidays...
dh and i are leaving this weekend to drive home (FL) for the holidays. we are going to be there for 2 weeks, so that should be nice. i always love going home and seeing my fam and friends, esp since we go home only 1x/yr.

i hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! i hope 2009 is filled with happiness and love for everyone.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
Kyamo - I'm sorry to hear you're not pregnant yet ( but yay divacup!) I'm sure it will happen when it's meant to happen









I know... its not the best time anyways (hence the birth control... lol). Can't help being a bit sad though.


----------



## 5796

I just wanted to peek into your thread and let any of the older NotMomsYet know that some of us were later when we had our children.
I didn't meet my husband until I was 38 and I did not get married until I was 41 and then I had DS when I was 43!!!! I know that must seem like an eternity but you know it was worth it. and I am convinced the baby/child comes at the exact right time.

I send you guys big hugs and I hope 2009 is the year where a bunch of you become mommies!

Happy Holidays!


----------



## GuavaGirl

So here's a little update on our TTC plans.

We were planning on trying this cycle. I went to the dentist (hadn't been in a while) and I have a cavity, and my gums are not in the best shape. So now we're thinking about waiting another month until all of that gets taken care of. I'm a little bummed. I know it sounds pathetic, but when you're that close, and then it's like "oh nevermind", it's a slight let down. Esp. since we have this little vacation planned, which happens to be right around when I ovulate. We thought it would be a great TTC kick off vacation too! (we keep going back and forth on what we should do, trying to determine what is safe and what isn't)

...and to top it all off, yesterday as I left a house I was babysitting at, the little baby did not want me to go. He didn't want to let go of me and was all upset when I was leaving. This hasn't happen before with him. Maybe it was because we did a lot of snuggling that day. Anyway, I was fine, but then as I was driving down the road I got really sad all of a sudden, got home, and just started crying. I was missing this kid already! My poor DH was like....."uh I'm sorry you're so sad, but he's not even your baby honey.???" He's constantly baffled by the power of maternal instincts.









Oh, and Tracy, thanks for the reality check.









-Alisha


----------



## kimiij

For those who celebrate, how was your Christmas?


----------



## talk de jour

Hey all!

I'd like to join you ladies.

I'm Lindsay; I live with my dp/fiance Dave, two kitties and a huge GSD in beautiful Florissant, MO.

I found MDC through a link to a thread and just started reading... and here I am!

We're "not not TTC" and are looking at possibly having to deal with some fertility issues when we really start TTC for real. :\


----------



## Mama2Dane

Welcome, *talk de jour*!

I've been hiding out for a little while, working on a "sock" monkey that I thought was just too cool. Unfortunately, the little girl that I gave it to didn't like it. Those were her exact words on first sight -- "I don't like it."







Well, that was 50-some-odd hours down the drain. When I asked why, she told me she wanted a princess barbie instead...

In other news, DP's and my fifth dating anniversary was on the 15th! I can't believe it's been *FIVE YEARS* already!

I gotta go. Happy Holidays!


----------



## jaclyn7

We had a lovely, if bittersweet Christmas. Both Kyle and I lost a grandparent this year (his in December just before his birthday) and I had a chemical pregnancy that ended on the 22nd, but honestly it has just brought us all that much closer.

We're really struggling with when to try...








Andee & welcome Talk du jour


----------



## knittinanny

Andee, that monkey is so cool! I'm sure once the barbie-lover turns about 14, that sock monkey will be the coolest thing she owns.

Jaclyn, sorry for your losses! The holidays can be a hard enough time without extra sadness!

We did absolutely nothing for the holidays. DP has/had the flu and a terrible cough and spend 5 days asleep on the couch. I knitted and read books. All in all, not so bad. I'm fairly bummed to be back at work after all that relaxing, though!


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## talk de jour

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
We had a lovely, if bittersweet Christmas. Both Kyle and I lost a grandparent this year (his in December just before his birthday) and I had a chemical pregnancy that ended on the 22nd, but honestly it has just brought us all that much closer.

We're really struggling with when to try...








Andee & welcome Talk du jour









I'm sorry for your losses.


----------



## zejh

Checking in... Aside from our Christmas Eve flight turning into a Christmas morning flight, arriving at my parents' house at 4am, it was a really good Christmas--the first one my parents and I have actually spent at home in 5 years (we've been going to Florida in recent years), and the first Christmas for me and dh as a married couple!







:

As far as TTC goes, dh and I have decided to say "screw it" on worrying about timing--if I get pregnant this month, I may have to end up missing my cousin's wedding in the fall, but, well, it could also take a few more months, so why bother worrying about the what-ifs on when it happens?

Anyhow, the really good news is that our finances seem to be very much under control (a large part of why we're not worried about timing), and with any luck, dh's work hours will be more normal within a month when the project he's working on goes online.

Oh, and the sock monkey is so cute! (I know my mom would've been mortified if I'd said anything negative to someone about a gift--I was on strict orders to be polite even if someone gave me something that was obviously a cheap drug store toy, and my mom did enough sewing that I could always tell if someone had put real effort into something...)


----------



## ladyinred

talk de jour







Nice to meet you.

jaclyn7 - I'm sorry you've been struggling with so much loss but glad that it's brought you closer to your Dp. I don't know what it is about December. I lost three of my grandparents in Decembers of different years. I hadn't even heard of chemical pregnancy until earlier this year when one of my friends had one. Luckily she's managed to get pregnant for real now and is due in July







: I hope that things become clearer for you about when you want to try.

zejh - Seems like a really good attitude to take, just have fun and see what happens







Enjoy!

oiseau - I'm sorry your Christmas started off rocky but it's great that it turned around.

Our Christmas was pretty great. We started out not so good, weather kept us home Christmas Eve and I was afraid we wouldn't get to go to stay with my family like we'd planned but the weather was better on Christmas day so we left at 6am to drive for 6 hours! It was crazy but really really fun. I love my family and Df seemed to really enjoy meeting my extended family. We played some crazy games, ates lots of awesome food and came back on Saturday. It's nice to be home. I'm trying to get lots of cleaning and organizing done this week before school starts up again.

Hope everyone's enjoying the last few days of 2008







:







:







:


----------



## Mama2Dane

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! It's getting quiet in here.









*jaclyn7*,







s
*oiseau*, are you feeling any better? How'd your project go?
*zejh*, that's awesome that you have all your financial ducks in a row.







Any news on ttc? I just can't hardly wait until we get to that point!

Thank you everyone for the nice comments on the monkey.







I'm *very* proud of him. Things are going pretty blah over here. DP and I have been sick for almost three weeks with what we think is bronchitis. I was a little worried that we'd have to go get antibiotics (we are currently without insurance), but apparently they don't work on bronchitis anyway because it's viral. So I'm just waiting to feel better...

I don't generally do these, but does anyone have any new year's resolutions?


----------



## jaclyn7

Thank you all for your kind wishes. It's snowing (again) here in Vancouver and I'm putting away our Christmas/solstice decorations - another year has begun.

I think for 2009, my big resolution is to let go of things more easily and go with the flow. I'm so uptight in many ways and the fear of everything not being just perfect is tiring. I'm not really sure what is holding us back from actively trying besides materialistic expectations and my fear of failure. We've sorta tried twice with the two losses, but we've hidden behind the "sorta" as somehow that dimishes our pain or our desire to start a family and I know we have both outgrown that safety net...


----------



## kimiij

My New Year's Resolution is to try and stay true to the following three words: Discerning, Hopeful, and Persevering. I'm trying to be discerning about the path that I'm supposed to take this next year, trying to be hopeful about new opportunities, and try to persevere through any crap that might come my way.

I adapted this idea of a three-word resolution from the Motherlode blog/column on NYTIMES. The author suggested creating a one-word New Year's Resolution. Well...I couldn't stick to one, so I came up with a three-word New Year's Resolution.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

My school is deciding on what applicants to accept in exactly three days. At this time on the sixth a bunch of women will be deciding my future. I am feeling very sick thinking about it, and hope that you will all send good vibes on the sixth in support of me getting into school. So much is dependant on this, I am getting more freaked out by the day!!!

My new years resolution is to bring in some money this year, and be better at saving.
I had a wonderful new years, very very good new years kiss....
All moved into my new house and things seem to be good, but I cant get this whole Birthingway decision out of my head.


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! It's getting quiet in here.








...
*zejh*, that's awesome that you have all your financial ducks in a row.







Any news on ttc? I just can't hardly wait until we get to that point!
...

Well, financial ducks are getting close, but it looks like the postal service is making things a little less happy by getting one or two of our credit card bills in late.







: But the paying off part isn't worrisome.

As far as ttc, my body's being a little weird this month. We actually first started trying right after we got married in July, and I actually was pregnant back in August, but that only lasted through early September (I only really knew I was pregnant for barely 2 weeks). We were intending to try again right away, but stuff came up in October and November to sidetrack us, and the past month the problem seems to be that my body's decided too much is going on right now... (theater, travel, general stress) The frustrating thing is how easy it was last summer, and of course, trying not to stress is not a good way not to stress...









Anyhow... hopefully that'll happen sooner rather than later. (And, yeah, if it doesn't happen this month, well, that means we don't have to worry about getting to my cousin's wedding in the fall, right? 'cause, it would be hard to get several states over from here either very very pregnant or with a very very young baby... But still, if I had to pick one dilemma to have this year, I'll take having to skip a wedding because I'm having a baby!)

So, yeah... New Year's Resolutions: (1)Get everything in order, and (2)Don't stress, dwell, worry, etc. Just get stuff done, then enjoy life. (Easy to say when the hormones aren't swinging at me...) and related, but I'll give it its own number: (3)Last year was last year, good and bad. I can't live in the past on the good things, and I don't need to think about the bad things anymore (just deal with anything related as it comes up, obviously)


----------



## Grateful

Hi everyone. Would it be okay if I join in?

I'm Kit and I've been married a couple of years. No little ones yet, but we're (slowly) moving that direction. Sometimes I wish we were ready already(!) and other times I'm content to let things unfold as they will.

I hope maybe it will be helpful to hang here with some folks in a similar situation. Hope to get to know you!


----------



## jaclyn7

Welcome Kit!

Sage - everything crossable is crossed for you, I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday!

zejh - your #2 probably applies to most of us, how much we worry - it's crazy.


----------



## jaclyn7

Slightly back onto the buying things for baby, I received a gift card for Amazon.ca from my work golf tournament in September and I finally decided that I just had to take care of it. So, I grabbed a few books that I've wanted for a while...

"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth", "Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife" by Peggy Vincent, and "Natural Pregnancy Book" by Romm Aviva!

I'm so excited, I've really slacked off with my Mama reading for too long.


----------



## jimblejamble

So we just moved from Monterey to Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago. I love our little apartment and its location (a 5-minute walk from everything--Church, store, restaurants, Chris' school). Right now we're looking for work and enjoying the snow. 

Bed life is good, hehe. It's amazing, like we never had any issues. We're so happy! Things have been going so well that...

I think I'm pregnant!!! I've just been getting the impression over and over again...and spotting...I'm going to take a test next week.







We're trying not to get too excited until I test, though.


----------



## jaclyn7

That is amazing Jessica!







:


----------



## Grateful

Quote:

"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth", "Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife" by Peggy Vincent, and "Natural Pregnancy Book" by Romm Aviva!
Good list! I've read a couple of these. I just got "Birth as an American Right of Passage" by Robbe E. Davis-Floyd. Also great!

Quote:

I think I'm pregnant!!!
Wow! That's wonderful!







:


----------



## adinkra

Happy New Year! I'm still new around these parts, but Hesperia invited me to join, so... here I am!

My nickname is Marti, I've been married to my college sweetheart for 3 years (after dating him for 7), and we're planning to start TTC in August or September of 2009.

We're also planning on buying a house in late 2009.
My freelance business is booming, and my part-time tax work is looking to do the same this year.
And I start grad school classes on Tuesday.









Planning to spend some distraction time here and looking forward to getting to know all of you!


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Jaclyn, Good book choices! I only own Ina May's guide. I must build up my collection.

Jess, I cant believe you think you are pregnant! That is crazy! Could you be the first graduate from our cohort or NMY? If you are not now you probably will be. Savour the bedroom girl! I am so proud of how far you've come(no pun intended!)! Good luck sweetie! I am so envious that you are in the position to get pregnant.
I am so far away from considering intentionally getting pregnant! I would love to get a boyfriend one of these years....
Anyways I am happy to ring in the new year with you all as my internet friends! I am feeling great! Welcome to the newcomers!
I will let y'all know over the next few days about my school results.


----------



## ladyinred

Sage - Best of luck!

Jessica - Wow, that's so wonderful







: I'm so happy for you







:

adinkra - Welcome









Friends of mine had two big announcements over Christmas. One was that they're engaged. This was not a big shock to me, I've known about it for a while because I'm standing with them and they've been planning their wedding for a really long time now. The second announcement is that they're pregnant! She had a chemical pregnancy not that long ago unfortunately and they were really excited about it and really sad when it turned out to not be an actual pregnancy so they're extatic about this one. She's due in July and they're getting married in October. I got to see the ultrasound picture, so amazing. Even though I'm not crazy pro ultrasounds, it is really cool to be able to see a picture of your baby while it's still inside of you. And in their case I can understand wanting to make sure there was actually a baby cooking in there









I set a ton of New Years goals this year. My brother and sister-in-law gave me this great journal/day planner that has places to set different kinds of goals for the year and talk about their progress and things, it's really wonderful.

Happy New Year everyone!


----------



## jimblejamble

Thanks everyone!

Sage, I really couldn't have done it without that message you sent me. Answering the questions you asked really help me so much! *hugs*


----------



## kimiij

Wow! I'm so happy for you Jessica!! Keep us updated - hopefully it's a BFP!


----------



## CAndMe

Just popping in to say I'm crossing my fingers for you Jessica.







:


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Jaclyn, Good book choices! I only own Ina May's guide. I must build up my collection.

Jess, I cant believe you think you are pregnant! That is crazy! Could you be the first graduate from our cohort or NMY? If you are not now you probably will be. Savour the bedroom girl! I am so proud of how far you've come(no pun intended!)! Good luck sweetie! I am so envious that you are in the position to get pregnant.
I am so far away from considering intentionally getting pregnant! I would love to get a boyfriend one of these years....
Anyways I am happy to ring in the new year with you all as my internet friends! I am feeling great! Welcome to the newcomers!
I will let y'all know over the next few days about my school results.

i'm with you on the boyfriend part

congrats Jess let us know as soon as you know







:

i also have some more news but i just dont have the time right now i'll come back later


----------



## Mama2Dane

Jessica, congratulations!!!!!









Keep us updated for sure. When are you going to test?


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer, "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth", "Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife" by Peggy Vincent, and "Natural Pregnancy Book" by Romm Aviva!

Those are all books that I really want to read as well. Nice list!









*Adinkra*, welcome.







Your siggy says you knit? I _know how_ to knit, but I don't do it much (I'm more of a crochet girl). In fact, I started a sweater four years ago that's still on the needles!







What kind of projects do you do?


----------



## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
Jessica, congratulations!!!!!









Keep us updated for sure. When are you going to test?

Probably the 11th.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

I got in!!!! I was accepted to birthingway today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## oiseau

: congratulations!!!







:


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I got in!!!! I was accepted to birthingway today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!

I can't wait to hear the results on the 11th, Jessica.


----------



## knittinanny

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I got in!!!! I was accepted to birthingway today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









:














:

Congrats! That's so awesome!!


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I got in!!!! I was accepted to birthingway today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!







:







:







: Congratulations!


----------



## CAndMe

Congratulations, Sage!


----------



## APBTlover

So much







:







: going on here! I'm only gone a few days and look what happens! Congrats!


----------



## tippy

welcome newbies!!!

sage, congrats! that is awesome news!

nothing much happening over here. just trying to get back into the swing of things at work - it sucks! dh and i are still thinking about starting to ttc in apr. we've already started talking about our ideas as far as child care, etc. yikes, it's getting a little too real for me!!


----------



## charliemae

Hey NMY's! I'm not new here at all, but I'll re-introduce myself after I respond to these posts









Quote:


Originally Posted by *helen_emily* 
*Sage.Naissance* I am really curious to know where you found info about using a ginger tea to bring on menses? My pregnant friend is currently using ginger tea to help control her extreme morning sickness... I had no idea it has any effect on your cycle, could it cause issues for her pregnancy?

It can bring on menses, but it takes a much larger dose (or concentration) then tea to cause a miscarriage though.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
I adapted this idea of a three-word resolution from the Motherlode blog/column on NYTIMES. The author suggested creating a one-word New Year's Resolution. Well...I couldn't stick to one, so I came up with a three-word New Year's Resolution.

I really like this idea. My new years "resolution" is to live more authentically. I think that Authentic could be my one word.


----------



## charliemae

Hi all!









I don't recognize anyone on this thread anymore







but I used to post on NMY regularly back in the day. I even have a few posts on the original monster thread! I made some AMAZING friends from this site; I had the EXTREME privilege of meeting and staying with Rico'sAlice (the one credited with the words in the first post) and her stunning son last march. I also got to meet TwilightJoy, and MsHelena on that trip. I first "met" them all on here so ...







: I still keep in contact with a few others who used to post here too.

In other words, I look foreword to getting to know all of you "new-to-me" ladies, and I hope you don't mind me crashing your party.

About Me: I'm 21 years old. I live in Washington. Single and dating, sort of. In my Junior year of college with a double major in Early childhood education and elementary education.

I'm sure my crunchy credentials will be made obvious as I post so I wont list those.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Congratulations, *Sage*!!!









Welcome back, *Charliemae*

Off to bed now...


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Thanks so much for all the love guys! I am feeling it!
I also just got asked to breakfast with this guy I've just started seeing so I am a bit giddy about that. Things have never been sweeter. xo Cheers!







:


----------



## CAndMe

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Thanks so much for all the love guys! I am feeling it!
I also just got asked to breakfast with this guy I've just started seeing so I am a bit giddy about that. Things have never been sweeter. xo Cheers!







:


Breakfast dates = the best!
Hi Charlie, I remember you from a while back. I think a lot of us in this cohort plan to stick around for a while.

So I was afraid that not only was I going to lose my job but that the store would have to go out of business there for a while. The new bill that was just passed requiring *all products* for under 12yo's to be tested for higher standards of lead would have put our little resale store (and goodwill's kids stuff, and ebay, and craigslist, and yardsales.....) out of business. The bill was to target manufacturers and hold them up to higher standards after the big lead scare last year. However, the wording was terrible and it would have ended up putting literally thousands of American small businesses under. Just yesterday though, CPSC amended the bill so that it no longer includes resale. Although I don't think the wonderful boutiques and SAHM businesses are in the clear, which is the other half of the issue.







If any of you would care to do so, there are a few petitions floating around on the intarwebs, however most of them are state specific so I won't link you to any.

So back to news that pertains to our Canadians also.

Chris and I are talking wedding!!!







:

No babies for at least 3 years though, still.


----------



## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Thanks so much for all the love guys! I am feeling it!
I also just got asked to breakfast with this guy I've just started seeing so I am a bit giddy about that. Things have never been sweeter. xo Cheers!







:


WOOHOO! *dance*


----------



## charliemae

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I also just got asked to breakfast with this guy I've just started seeing so I am a bit giddy about that. Things have never been sweeter. xo Cheers!







:

Congrats!
I have this insane date thing that I don't know if it's a date or we're just hanging out but what guy asks a girl to dinner to just hang out at 7:00 on a Saturday?!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
Breakfast dates = the best!
Hi Charlie, I remember you from a while back. I think a lot of us in this cohort plan to stick around for a while.

I'm so tickled that you use the word "cohort" because my program is a cohort education program. I'd never even heard of it before that.

When I first joined MDC (when I was like 18 heh) I was in a serious relationship. Now that I'm not it's a little harder to get into some of the planning and things that are so much fun.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
Chris and I are talking wedding!!!







:

That's so fun! I have several friends (most of them internet) that are planning weddings right now.


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I got in!!!! I was accepted to birthingway today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yay!!!!!!!!!!!







:


----------



## jimblejamble

So we were at the store the other day and I was going to buy a pregnancy test but Chris said, "Why don't we just wait and see what nature says?" So...we'll just assume that if my period doesn't come by the 12th or 13th that it's a yes. Heheh! I like how sneaky Chris wants to be. He doesn't want to tell anyone until about 4-5 months into it, either. I was going to hold out till the end of the first trimester (just in case), I don't know if I could do it another 2 months! Ahh this is so exciting but waiting for the 13th to arrive is killing me!

Oh, and look at the little baby cap I finished yesterday! :-D http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/...3e81e91e_o.jpg


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
So we were at the store the other day and I was going to buy a pregnancy test but Chris said, "Why don't we just wait and see what nature says?" So...we'll just assume that if my period doesn't come by the 12th or 13th that it's a yes. Heheh! I like how sneaky Chris wants to be. He doesn't want to tell anyone until about 4-5 months into it, either. I was going to hold out till the end of the first trimester (just in case), I don't know if I could do it another 2 months! Ahh this is so exciting but waiting for the 13th to arrive is killing me!

Oh, and look at the little baby cap I finished yesterday! :-D http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/...3e81e91e_o.jpg

i dont think i could handle not testing

and that is a super cute hat


----------



## charliemae

I love the IDEA of not testing, but I don't think I could pull it off. I'm much to obsessive


----------



## APBTlover

We're planning to start TTC next month (I know, I've said it a million times, but something ALWAYS comes up...), and we're considering not testing. On the other hand, I am quite the impatient one, so, we'll see.

I need to lose more weight by next month. Blah. I wouldn't mind this being post-baby weight, but I don't want to _start out_ with this much excess baggage, ykwim?







I guess it's a silly concern in some ways, but I really want to enjoy pregnancy, not have that little voice in the back of my mind fretting about my striking resemblance to some type of livestock.


----------



## jimblejamble

It is kind of hard at times, but I do like waiting to see what nature has to say. My period's never skipped or been late so that's our "test".









Meanwhile I've been looking for midwives in the Salt Lake City area and knitting baby stuff to keep myself busy...aside from the fruitless job search, anyway.


----------



## APBTlover

I wish I knew how to knit. Any resources you recommend? I have some marginal crocheting skills, but I see lots of knitting patterns I positively lust after.

Good luck with the midwife search! I found out months ago that there is no one who can legally attend my homebirth.







Right now we're looking at UC or a hospital birth. Normally it would be a no-brainer, but my mom's OB has an acceptably low c-sec rate (<15%) and our local hospital... well, I wouldn't trust them with a stray dog, no kidding. DH is gung-ho about UC, but I am still debating.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shaina* 
i dont think i could handle not testing

and that is a super cute hat









:

Quote:


Originally Posted by *APBTlover* 
I need to lose more weight by next month. Blah. I wouldn't mind this being post-baby weight, but I don't want to _start out_ with this much excess baggage, ykwim?







I guess it's a silly concern in some ways, but I really want to enjoy pregnancy, not have that little voice in the back of my mind fretting about my striking resemblance to some type of livestock.









I know what you mean. I have quite a bit of weight I wouldn't mind losing before we ttc, whenever that's going to happen. Right now I'm a *gulp* size 16.







: I can't imagine doing those beautiful pregnancy pics with a bare belly at my starting size. I wouldn't mind getting down to the weight I was when I met my DP, but it's hard getting motivated sometimes (especially up here














.


----------



## APBTlover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I can't imagine doing those beautiful pregnancy pics with a bare belly at my starting size. I wouldn't mind getting down to the weight I was when I met my DP...

Yep. I have gained roughly 40lbs since I met my DH... he has gained about the same amount, but no one can tell! It's definitely noticeable on me, though. I think I would be well-pleased with losing 20. But in a month? I don't know. I had lost some in anticipation of TTC but then the holidays happened to me.


----------



## charliemae

Maybe someone should revitalize the NMY fitness tribe?

Here's the link to the old one that Isabel started back in 2006
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=524452

I'd recommend starting a new one if enough people are interested.


----------



## APBTlover

Ooo, that seems like a great idea! I need someone to hold me accountable. It's not only weight loss but a general shift toward better health that I need to do anyway. I have a wealth of knowledge, believe fully in the power of a natural diet, etc, but have this amazing ability to say, "it won't hurt to do this (poor posture, not working out, drinking far too much Dr Pepper, drinking far too little water, one and on) _one more day_." Which has turned into, oh, 4 years. Eeep!


----------



## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *APBTlover* 
I wish I knew how to knit. Any resources you recommend? I have some marginal crocheting skills, but I see lots of knitting patterns I positively lust after.

For beginners, these are the two sites I recommend most:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/ (videos of all the basic stitches, youtube.com has a bunch too!)
http://www.ravelry.com/ (knit & crochet community, with over 150,000 members willing to help you out







)
Your local craft/knitting/yarn store should have weekly knitting classes too. Good luck with knitting and everything!


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *APBTlover* 
I have a wealth of knowledge, believe fully in the power of a natural diet, etc, but have this amazing ability to say, "it won't hurt to do this (poor posture, not working out, drinking far too much Dr Pepper, drinking far too little water, one and on) _one more day_." Which has turned into, oh, 4 years. Eeep!

Yeah, I'm right there with you.







I think I was 180 when I met my DP, crash dieted down to 140, and then over the course of four years gained, oh, only about SIXTY POUNDS.





















: When I was on disability two summers ago I ended up learning A LOT about nutrition and became veg*n, but I still let myself eat horribly. There's really no support for change here; DP's gained weight also and can't see himself adopting a healthy lifestyle just yet.... I like the idea of a support thread, but I don't know if I could stick to it. Great idea, though.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
For beginners, these are the two sites I recommend most:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/ (videos of all the basic stitches, youtube.com has a bunch too!)
http://www.ravelry.com/ (knit & crochet community, with over 150,000 members willing to help you out







)
Your local craft/knitting/yarn store should have weekly knitting classes too. Good luck with knitting and everything!

I also like the forum www.craftster.org. I go there for crochet patterns and tips, but they have all sorts of sections on all different crafts.

ETA our Joann fabrics store offers knitting 101 courses. Maybe yours would too?


----------



## Mama2Dane

Ugh. I'm at work, crocheting a little bit of nothing, tending the window of this supply crib. Some guy came up to my window and saw what I was doing and asked if I was "making something for baby". I told him no, definitely not and he responded with "You no having baby???" (his native language is not english). He then proceeded to look me up and down and shake his head in confusion.







:
So maybe I am ready to lose weight. Like now, please.


----------



## Grateful

I have a little weight to lose too. I used to be really active, but well, you know, life gets in the way. Now it's incredibly







: outside so that just makes it harder to get out. I have access to a local pool, so I'm planning on starting swimming habit 3x a week. Anybody have any other exercise ideas??? What have you enjoyed in the past?

Jessica, I really like your idea of waiting for your body to let you know whether you're pregnant. It seems like ttc and pregnancy are both vital times to listen to your body, so it's just fitting. Now, that's not to say I'd have the patience for waiting.









Have a nice week everybody.

Kit


----------



## Jenne

Okay, JessicaRenne--down here it's the 12th...any signs?









Hey y'all! I back from the great beyond! CharlieMae I remember you!







Sage congrats on school! Oiseau I hope you've been feeling better the past few weeks. CAandMe congrats on the almost wedding! Welcome new NYMs!

I think I covered most of the big events...I can only scroll back so far and my memory is only so good.










I hope everyone is off to a wonderful 2009. DH and I signed a contract to have a new house built for us. We are crazy excited. Right now we are in his 1 bedroom apartment while my house is on the market to sell. Hopefully it will sell quickly and the new one will be built quickly because gee whiz it is a tight fit.

I'm working on a baby blanket for my DH's brother and his wife. They are jerks but I like to knit and it isn't the baby's fault his parents are the way they are.







That is an adorable hat! (I think it was JessicaRenne's but it may have been Andee's ((Sorry I don't recall!))...did the yarn create that pattern or did you?

Okay, well, I have to go get caught up on work. So glad to be back!
Jenne


----------



## jimblejamble

No period yet! And no signs of a period! Every month for 3-4 days before my period I'll get cramps throughout the day (a minute here, a minute here). I've gotten that every month without fail since my first period at the age of 12 and so far, it hasn't come. SQUEE!!!


----------



## jaclyn7

Sage, I am so happy for you







:

Hi everyone else & tonnes of baby dust for those that are trying. ACC for you Jessica!


----------



## jaclyn7

Oh, I am game if anyone wants to start the get fit & healthy support thread for us NMY...

I think variety is the key with exercise and forcing yourself to do a little bit every day (even if it is just 20 minutes). Don't laugh but I love Richard Simmons, along with a Kathy Smith step tape (how old school), the cheapo pilates machine from the shopping channel, walking, and dragging myself to the gym. I just need to do it especially for the first time in a long time my eating is pretty good thanks to WW.


----------



## APBTlover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 

ETA our Joann fabrics store offers knitting 101 courses. Maybe yours would too?

I wish. I live, shall we say, in the sticks. I love it, but it's more than a little inconvenient when it comes to crafting... no craft store of any description in less than an hour's drive.

I







Craftster! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to see if they had some rank-newbie tutorials.

This weekend, DH and I walked over 3.5 miles. We did some Pilates together (he's all about getting his "core" back in shape), and I did some other general stretching, etc. Really kept an eye on what I was eating. And GAINED 1.5 pounds! How is that possible? No way I believe it's all muscle. Blah. Now I am do depressed I want to go eat a large order of French fries.


----------



## terrordactyl

so Jessica any news?


----------



## Sage.Naissance

JessicaRenee you are going to want to test to confirm any suspicions before you get too excited. Not to be a buzz kill but starting to have sex might shift your periods a bit.
Thanks for all your congrats guys!
I have so far hung out with this guy every other day for the last two weeks... seems we are seeing a lot of eachother. I have no idea where it is going.


----------



## charliemae

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
JessicaRenee you are going to want to test to confirm any suspicions before you get too excited. Not to be a buzz kill but starting to have sex might shift your periods a bit.

Although this is true, you don't have to test. Zoebird didn't test with Hawk, and a lot of people choose to just trust their bodies. Especially if her and DH(?) aren't planning on sharing the news any time soon.


----------



## Jenne

So FF gave me crosshairs and a day to test today. Too bad we aren't trying. I'm trying to remain indifferent. It's tough. And a surprise!

Y'all stay warm now, ya hear?







:
Jenne


----------



## terrordactyl

wow its dead in here!
any news Jessica?


----------



## jimblejamble

17th and still no period, plus I've had a few other early pregnancy symptoms. Woohoo! :-D


----------



## jimblejamble

Okay, you all talked me into it...

Look what I got!

I want to frame it! Ahh! Best Christmas present ever (yep, we conceived on December 25th).







:


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JessicaRenee* 
Okay, you all talked me into it...

Look what I got!

I want to frame it! Ahh! Best Christmas present ever (yep, we conceived on December 25th).







:


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!







:







:







:







:







:







:







: Wow, that's so amazing. I'm so happy for you both. You're right, best Christmas present ever!


----------



## CAndMe

Whoooohooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Wow! That is so amazing Jessica. Congratulations on your Christmas-made baby


----------



## bubbledumpster

Hello! I figured I should probably start posting here, considering the high frequency with which I run into this forum when Googling things. Baby wearing, WWOOFing, cloth diapering, homeschooling, I think I belong here. =) My best friend recently had a baby and was on this forum every day. It deeply influenced her choice to have an unassisted homebirth.

I'm 21 years old and have been cohabiting with my lover and very best friend since I was 16. We both love babies are very eager to have them, but we want to explore the world first. We suspect we'll be ready to TTC when I'm about 25, so that means 2012!









Anyways, I research, it's what I do for fun. When I decided I want something I spend the next couple months feverishly reading every last bit of info about it that exists. I figure you can't have too much information when it comes to the creation and forming of a human being, so 4 years prior doesn't seem like overkill.

My name is cavale, and my birthday is may 12 (looks like i share it with someone already active!), 1987. Which makes me a Taurus.

Right now, the sam and I are gearing up for the Ocala







Rainbow Gathering.

(PS can anyone point me in the direction of a glossary for all these acronyms!?)


----------



## kimiij

Welcome bubbleddumpster!

There's a full list here of acronyms and abbreviations: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=522590


----------



## kimiij

Congrats Jessica! Wishing you a happy and healthy nine months!


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bubbledumpster* 
Hello! I figured I should probably start posting here, considering the high frequency with which I run into this forum when Googling things. Baby wearing, WWOOFing, cloth diapering, homeschooling, I think I belong here. =) My best friend recently had a baby and was on this forum every day. It deeply influenced her choice to have an unassisted homebirth.

I'm 21 years old and have been cohabiting with my lover and very best friend since I was 16. We both love babies are very eager to have them, but we want to explore the world first. We suspect we'll be ready to TTC when I'm about 25, so that means 2012!









Anyways, I research, it's what I do for fun. When I decided I want something I spend the next couple months feverishly reading every last bit of info about it that exists. I figure you can't have too much information when it comes to the creation and forming of a human being, so 4 years prior doesn't seem like overkill.

My name is cavale, and my birthday is may 12 (looks like i share it with someone already active!), 1987. Which makes me a Taurus.

Right now, the sam and I are gearing up for the Ocala







Rainbow Gathering.

(PS can anyone point me in the direction of a glossary for all these acronyms!?)

i've been to Ocala have you ever been to a national this year it is in New Mexico www.welcomehome.org


----------



## oiseau

Congrats Jess







:


----------



## bubbledumpster

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shaina* 
i've been to Ocala have you ever been to a national this year it is in New Mexico www.welcomehome.org

Yes! Ocala last year was my very first gathering and I was only there for two days but it completely changed my life. My second gathering was the 2008 nationals in Wyoming!

And now I'm starting out on a year long journey along the rainbow trail.







:


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bubbledumpster* 
Yes! Ocala last year was my very first gathering and I was only there for two days but it completely changed my life. My second gathering was the 2008 nationals in Wyoming!

And now I'm starting out on a year long journey along the rainbow trail.







:

thats awesome yeah i've been going to nationals since i was 6 months old. its an amazing experience i cant even imagine how it would be starting it later in life







:


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bubbledumpster* 
Hello! I figured I should probably start posting here, considering the high frequency with which I run into this forum when Googling things. Baby wearing, WWOOFing, cloth diapering, homeschooling, I think I belong here. =) My best friend recently had a baby and was on this forum every day. It deeply influenced her choice to have an unassisted homebirth.

I'm 21 years old and have been cohabiting with my lover and very best friend since I was 16. We both love babies are very eager to have them, but we want to explore the world first. We suspect we'll be ready to TTC when I'm about 25, so that means 2012!









Anyways, I research, it's what I do for fun. When I decided I want something I spend the next couple months feverishly reading every last bit of info about it that exists. I figure you can't have too much information when it comes to the creation and forming of a human being, so 4 years prior doesn't seem like overkill.

My name is cavale, and my birthday is may 12 (looks like i share it with someone already active!), 1987. Which makes me a Taurus.

Right now, the sam and I are gearing up for the Ocala







Rainbow Gathering.

(PS can anyone point me in the direction of a glossary for all these acronyms!?)

Welcome Cavale. Looks like you'll be right at home here. What's Ocala?


----------



## APBTlover

Woo, Jessica!!







:


----------



## w8ing4myDD

: Holy Cats--I leave for a while and all sorts of craziness happens....

First of all, CONGRATS JESSICA! ! YAY!







:







:







: So happy for you!

Also, congrats to you on school, Sage, that's great!









Welcome to all newbies--this place is great!

Went to the gym for the first time in like a year today, so if people want to start up that fitness thing, sign me up!

lisa


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Wow Jessica, that is just incredible. Congratulations. I am so happy for you.
I wish you happiness and wellness in this new and beautiful stage of life.
I presently am hoping for just the opposite. Seems that I am in the midst of a "oh my god the condom broke" streak. The iminent threat of pregnancy always adds romance to a new relationship.... Anyways I just finished menstruating so I think Im fine but I should probably take some herbs anyways...

I am on a rediculously late schedule right now and sort of in party-mode since I was accepted to school so that is kind of getting old, I am feeling a bit partied out. So I am going to start a new novel and try to get the boy over for a movie night soon... Ideally I'd like to trip out to the mountain to go hiking. The weather here has been absolutely incredible. I am playing frisbee in january. I could never have imagined that in Montreal. Oregon rules.


----------



## Kyamo

The good news is, I have just got a new job (bringing the total to 3 part time jobs), TAing a first year physics class at my old uni. So I have been going crazy studying (this is rusty knowledge) and preparing, since I found out I had the job yesterday and I start tommorrow. That will even out though, I'll have a lot more time to prepare for the second class. It's just for one semester though.

And, since we've pegged TTC to paying off that car loan, new job = sooner TTC. However, at least in the short term, that extra money isn't going to go to the car loan at all, but to an emergency fund in case the bad news happens.

The bad news is that Chris's contract at work expires in October, and while thankfully his job shouldn't be in any danger, there's a good possibility they might go on strike before a new contract is settled. Strike = loss of income = money from above pays bills during strike instead of extra payments on car loan = delay TTC. Hopefully it doesn't happen.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Happy Obama day!!!!!!







:







:







:







:







:







:


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kyamo* 
The good news is, I have just got a new job (bringing the total to 3 part time jobs), TAing a first year physics class at my old uni. So I have been going crazy studying (this is rusty knowledge) and preparing, since I found out I had the job yesterday and I start tommorrow. That will even out though, I'll have a lot more time to prepare for the second class. It's just for one semester though.

And, since we've pegged TTC to paying off that car loan, new job = sooner TTC. However, at least in the short term, that extra money isn't going to go to the car loan at all, but to an emergency fund in case the bad news happens.

The bad news is that Chris's contract at work expires in October, and while thankfully his job shouldn't be in any danger, there's a good possibility they might go on strike before a new contract is settled. Strike = loss of income = money from above pays bills during strike instead of extra payments on car loan = delay TTC. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

Kyamo I know exactly what you mean. My Df's contract is up in September and for a while it seemed like his job was safe but now all of a sudden it looks like he's not going to be employed come September so we're in a bit of a panic. I have a job interview tomorrow for a full time teaching job and one on Monday for a substitute daycare job. That's great that you're able to create an emergency fund just in case. I hope you end up not needing it.


----------



## bubbledumpster

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shaina* 
thats awesome yeah i've been going to nationals since i was 6 months old. its an amazing experience i cant even imagine how it would be starting it later in life







:

Oh, wow. And I can't even imagine how amazing it would be to have always gone! But, I guess my future baybeez will know.









I struggled with social anxiety while out there, so I didn't really meet or spend time with anyone. That's part of the reason I'm going on this journey. I think I can grow and learn a lot about interacting with other humans and hopefully shed a lot of my fear by forcing myself into a situation where I HAVE to practice human-interaction, in such a safe and welcoming place.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
Welcome Cavale. Looks like you'll be right at home here. What's Ocala?

Thanks!
Ocala is the regional Rainbow Gathering for Florida. You can learn more about the Gathering at the link Shaina posted.

welcomehome.org

Now, I have a question. What does DF stand for?


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bubbledumpster* 

Ocala is the regional Rainbow Gathering for Florida. You can learn more about the Gathering at the link Shaina posted.

welcomehome.org

Now, I have a question. What does DF stand for?

Thanks for the website. Df stands for Dear Fiance.


----------



## jimblejamble

Oh, can I be added to the Pregnant list in the original post? Pleeeease?


----------



## texmati

oooh... me too if ya'll don't mind. I know I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been lurking!


----------



## CAndMe

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
oooh... me too if ya'll don't mind. I know I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been lurking!









: Congratulations!!!!!!!

You are both officially on the preg list!


----------



## jaclyn7

Congratulations to the new Mamas to be.

What another cold week here, how is it like in your part of the world? I've been staying in doors far too much and I'm so tired of January, I'm ready to make a big deal of Valentines and enjoy some pretty red & pink decorations. I've also booked some tanning appointments as I feel a touch of SAD...

How about you, what are you doing? It is so quiet here.


----------



## jaclyn7

BTW, I read the Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent last week - it was absolutely wonderful, a definite must read for Mamas and Mamas to be. She has a very gentle way with words and the birth storys provided a wonderful narrative to the midwifery experience of the 1980s.

I'm so happy to live in BC where midwives are covered by my provincial health care plan and I'm looking forward to our future homebirths even more.


----------



## Betnybaby

Hi. Just wanted to join in. I've been lurking for a while but haven't posted much. I've been married for 3 years and I'm 23 and it's so nice to find other people who aren't actually having babies yet but can't wait and are doing the research. We are looking at TTC maybe 2010 but depends on financial stuff. So nice to meet you all. BTW I live in New Zealand and it's lovely and warm here as we are in the middle of summer. It's 8.30pm and I'm still in shorts and a t-shirt.


----------



## knittinanny

: Congrats to our mamas to be! It's been a while since I've been here. I've been traveling with DP for our anniversary







: planning our garden, and doing lots of TTC research. I have an 'open day' appointment with London Women's Clinic this Saturday.









Welcome, Betnybaby! New Zealand sounds nice this time of year! Here I am trying to appreciate the sunny 8 degree Celsius weather...







:


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## ladyinred

Betnybaby - Welcome! I have a cousin who lives in New Zealand. I'm jealous of your weather. It was -31C this morning here, now it's -19 with a windchill of -29. I'm frozen from walking downtown.

Teximati - Congratulations! That's wonderful news!

I have some great news that I'm finally allowed to share, I'm going to be an aunt in August







My brother and his wife had been trying for a while and I just KNOW they're going to be wonderful parents. I bought them a sling for Christmas and they're very excited about it. I'm not sure how AP they will be but they have a few friends who are so I think they will be at least somewhat









I got to go visit with my parents and friends and their babies this weekend and talked a lot about babies and pregnancy. I hope I don't have to wait very much longer. We've finally set a wedding date, the long weekend in May, 2010 but I didn't get the job I just had an interview for so I'm still waiting for that magical job that will give me mat leave (as well as the joy of having my own classroom and security etc.)


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *knittinanny* 
Here I am trying to appreciate the sunny 8 degree Celsius weather...







:

I WISH it was 8C and sunny, lol. Today was a high of -7C and sunny, but we have had several days with highs less than -15C recently.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred*
but I didn't get the job I just had an interview for so I'm still waiting for that magical job that will give me mat leave

Sorry you didn't get the job. I am not so worried about mat leave from the employers perspective in the sense of getting my job back after, because I think I'll stay home with baby for a few years at least, but what bites my butt is that my tutoring job considers us "self-employed contractors" rather than employees. Which means they don't deduct EI from our pay, which means those hours don't count towards the number of hours you have to work in the year preceding a mat leave in order to get the EI mat leave payments. I don't work enough hours at Shoppers to qualify, but if the tutoring place counted too, then I would!! Bleuuurgh.


----------



## Jenne

Congrats to JessicaRenee and Texmati!







Yay! I've had 5 - tests but no period. I think maybe I need to up my Vitex dose...but since we don't want to concieve between now and April (don't want a Nov-Jan baby!







Unless God has other plans for us which we would be open to...but we are trying the family "planning" thing.







) so then I think maybe I should just taper off the Vitex and wait to start again in April.

We have our last meeting for our new house on Saturday. Very exciting. I can't wait to be able to walk normal and not heel-toe although we can now exit the bed on 1 side and sit on the couch...

I received my Nourishing Traditions book today. Good stuff. Any of you practicing NTers?









My BFF and I are taking a quilting class on Thursdays. I'm excited we start this week. I got some gorgeous fabrics from the Moda 1974 line for it.









Hope y'all are warm and happy, fat and sassy!








Jenne


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 

We have our last meeting for our new house on Saturday. Very exciting. I can't wait to be able to walk normal and not heel-toe although we can now exit the bed on 1 side and sit on the couch...

Congratulations on the new house, but why do you walk heel-toe in your current place? Do you mean like one foot directly infront of the other because it's small?

It's really quiet in here, how come?

It's snowy and cold here but we're meant to have some warmer weather and rain next week.


----------



## CAndMe

I agree, it has been quiet. It's pretty gross out in Central PA right now. We just got a storm yesterday and are expecting another tomorrow. I can't wait to not have to wear clothes.







:

So Valentines day? Do you to it? What are your plans?


----------



## w8ing4myDD

hmm, Valentines Day. Never was a big fan, until I met the DH! Now I have a "date and a card" rule. Unfortunately it takes much reminding, which can take some of the fun out of it! This year I already brought up the question of where we should go on our "date" (it's always just dinner out--I know, wild and crazy!), so maybe he'll take the initiative.....one can always hope!

lisa


----------



## zejh

Heh, Valentine's Day for me was a time to show off my arts and crafts skills and stay up late the night before making a handmade valentine for every one of the 30 kids in my class... Aside from that, I've never taken it too seriously as a date night type of thing. In fact, I just now realized that neither my mom or I thought twice about her visiting that weekend this year... my parents are happily married, but they also have their wedding anniversary in late January. Of course, my mom will happily give me and dh an evening to ourselves anytime she visits, so if we really want to do something, it won't be a problem. The one thing I look forward to about Valentine's Day is that it means there will be a few months without quite so many diamond commercials on TV (at least until it's almost time for Mother's Day, of course...)

As far as the weather goes, it's been dipping below 20 here most nights, and doesn't get enough above freezing most days to melt anything, and was getting close to 0 a few weeks ago, which isn't as cold as some places I've been... (Celsius is all well and good for science experiments, but for weather, I'll take a scale where 0 and 100 are the approximate extremes of temperature through the year...)


----------



## jimblejamble

I was never a fan of Valentine's day either but Chris has been planning something since December, so this oughta be exciting! Aww, my first non-single Valentine's Day! *puke*


----------



## Sage.Naissance

My valentines: My friends' band (including the guy I am seeing) are playing a concert that night so I get to watch my boy play drums, drink cheap beer, and then make out in public. Yeah!


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## ladyinred

Congrats Oiseau on three years







My df and I are coming up on three years as well in April.

Sage your valentine's day plan sounds awesome.

We don't have any plans yet. I asked Df and he suggested we celebrate it a week later like we did last year, which would be fine, except I have a four day weekend that weekend because there are two inservice days leading up to it and I'll be going stir crazy speding that much time in the house and I'll want to do something fun. Plus it's February and that in and of itself makes me go a little stir crazy. We keep getting more and more snow here. Had another storm day on Thursday. I drove friends home in the snow and the roads were so terrible. I don't know what is wrong with this city this year that they can't keep the roads clean. You'd think they'd forgotten we're in a really snowy part of Canada and always get this much snow.

I got turned down for a day care substitute job this week. I felt the interview went really well and I was very excited about the daycare, seems like a really great place. I think they turned me down because they'd have to pay me too much because of my degree. It's a bummer. Plus I went in for my debrief from my last teaching job interview and what she said was all really great for the most part and it seems like I should be able to get a job soon, but being a "top player" and having her tell me to apply for everything because she thinks I'll be a great teacher is all well and good, but it doesn't pay the bills. Meanwhile Df wants to quit his job more than ever but we don't want to lose the house. It's so frustrating.


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## jaclyn7

DH & I were never really into Valentine's because we celebrate our love every day in some way and we've found that in our circle the couples that make the biggest deal out of it are the ones with the shakiest relationships. I would gladly give up flowers, cards, and a little chocolate on February 14 to have what we have. Also, I love that any gift, token of affection, or sweet surprise is done on his own.

However, I think this year we're going to try and do something on the Friday night since DH works the Saturday. I cannot believe that it's our 6th Valentine's Day - crazy, the time has flown by. So much fun







: and in June it's our 5th wedding anniversary and I'm so excited. Whoot whoot!


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## Kyamo

We don't care too much about Valentines day. Part of the reason is that our birthdays are the 8th and the 10th of Feb, so it sort of gets mushed together. We sometimes make each other cards and/or go out to eat.

My parents are on holiday in Florida right now, and its pretty discouraging having emails every day about how its 20C or somesuch.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zejh*
(Celsius is all well and good for science experiments, but for weather, I'll take a scale where 0 and 100 are the approximate extremes of temperature through the year...)

Nah, Kelvin is for science experiments, Celsius for the weather!


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## knittinanny

We don't do valentine's either. It seems to both of us like a good way for shops to try to get people to buy stuff despite post-holiday belt-tightening.

Jenne - I'm (mostly) a TF'er. I read all of _Nourishing Traditions_ but have never made any of the recipes. I like _Full Moon Feast_ much better (though NT has a lot of good info).

I had an open day session at the London Women's Clinic yesterday to learn about egg sharing. I'm not sure about it still - there are so many options at this point, all of which are really, really expensive.







: But I scheduled my initial appointment where they do scans and bloodwork (where's a fainting icon when you need one?) and I might start making *real* appointments after that! I've started to take prenatals and extra B and vitex and I'm drinking my body weight in raspberry leaf and nettle tea (ok, not really, but almost). It's weird that I'm getting to close to trying. It's exciting, but sort of strange.


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## helen_emily

Wow, I had totally forgotten about Valentines day.

My boy and I are going overseas for a couple of months, to Laos and Thailand. We're leaving on the 15th, so I guess on Valentines we'll be packing and freaking out having forgotten something


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## oiseau

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## ladyinred

Just popped in to say that my brother and sister-in-law heard their lo's heart beat for the first time today







They sent me a sound bite of it. It kind of sounds like really fast heavy breathing!







Everything's going well so far. I'm so excited to be an aunt and my parents are excited to be grandparents too














:


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## akaisha

helloooooo ladies!

long time no talk. how is everyone?


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## Mama2Dane

So I've been busy lately, but still lurking.








Congrats Jessica and Texmati! That is too exciting! Have a happy and healthy 9 mos.

I don't think we're doing anything special for valentine's, but we never really do. We celebrate our anniversary and that's enough for me.







I really do love my guy...
Speaking of him, my ink-slingin' DP got into a tattoo parlor! He's been working on and off out of the house for almost 8 years, but he wanted to make a permanent transition, especially since I just found out that home tattooing is illegal. I guess it makes sense that it is, but it just never occurred to me since he's meticulously sterile. So, anyway, he started yesterday. If he makes enough doing this, ttc might be sooner than I thought!







:

I hope everybody's February is going alright!


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## akaisha

that's great andee! congrats to your DP (and you too)!


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## jaclyn7

Congratulations to you & your partner, Andee.

It seems that NA's winter has lulled many of us into a quiet space at the moment. I've been doing a lot of reading lately (both fiction and "Mama" inspired), but the snow fall from Christmas Eve is finally disappearing from our yard so I hope to be able to enjoy the outdoors a bit more again. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of our late first term loss, but I'm doing much better than I thought. I guess because I knew for a few days before the actual miscarriage happened and I really allowed myself to grieve so much last year.

On to happier thoughts, I was wondering if anyone had a seasonal table or other decorations in their living space that they changed throughout the year? My house is so beautiful at Christmastime that I'd like to incorporate more decorating throughout the year and I'm looking for decor (natural materials, craft ideas, even a few manufactured finds that will last through many years) and colour ideas to get myself going. I've heard that many people associate months with colours? If you do, what months are what?


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## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
On to happier thoughts, I was wondering if anyone had a seasonal table or other decorations in their living space that they changed throughout the year? My house is so beautiful at Christmastime that I'd like to incorporate more decorating throughout the year and I'm looking for decor (natural materials, craft ideas, even a few manufactured finds that will last through many years) and colour ideas to get myself going. I've heard that many people associate months with colours? If you do, what months are what?

I have a friend who has a table that she sets up with a waldorf inspired seasonal theme and changes it when the seasons change and midseason. I really like this idea and wish I could do more of this but with our three cats it's hard to set anything like this up. Right now I'm resisting taking down our Christmas stuff because I have nothing to replace it with, especially for our kitchen table. I'd like to make some new table cloths and change them seasonally though, that would be nice.

We had a nice warm day (above freezing) today, our first in a VERY long time, but we're back to cold tonight and tomorrow. I can't wait to see the snow go. We have way too much right now. I like snow, but this is too much.

Hope everyone else's February is going well!














:


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## jimblejamble

A friend of ours changes the decorations in the kitchen depending on the season. In spring they have a green table-runner and use the pastel, floral place mats. The center-piece is a sheep figurine. Over on the piano they keep a basket of pastel candies.

In summer they switch it to a patriotic theme with a vase full of American flags in the center of the table. Around September they change it to colours like orange, brown, mossy green, and gold, with a turkey center-piece and pine cones. It's really cute!


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## CAndMe

Something exciting happened!

I was on Craigslist today and (although I'm not really looking for a second job) thought- what the heck, I'll just see what's posted. So, lo and behold, someone is looking for a nanny for their 3 month old with hours that perfectly fit my availability and specifically mentioned that attachment parenting was important to them. So I emailed the woman and I now have an interview on Saturday! This is slightly more exciting if you know that this is a college town and there are usually 100's of 'nanny available' postings on our craigslist and practically never any needed.

So, for those of you who have done this before, any advice for the interview? I was wondering what I should wear, specifically, but any btdt advice would be wonderful!


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## Sage.Naissance

Awesome CandMe! I just very serendipitously landed a job at a mom and baby boutique, just one day a week for poor pay but I am excited! I start friday! I cant believe I landed a great retail job in the economy, it was really intuition and right place at the right time!
My advice for nanny job interviews(I have had many):
Sometimes my mistake is engaging too much with the parents and not the baby, they will be judging you on how you interact with their kid more than anything so just project love and engage the kid as much as you can.
Be confident and open.
Ask questions that show you know a lot about parenting issues but are non judgemental. Ie if they say "We are using cloth diapers" or "we baby wear" say "oh yeah, what kind of diapers are you using? oh cool I really like those ones"
Be professional and maintain boundaries but realize that this is a super personal job and you need to be personally engaging and relaxed. Being calm but engaged is key.
NEVER criticize their parenting style or be to forceful in discussing your parenting philosophy, they will not want to feel like you want to parent their child, but that you want to care for it and love it. If they say something you agree with, say 'oh yeah I totally agree' but if they are like 'well we are formula feeding because we figure it is just as good' dont engage them in a discussion about breastfeeding or ask too many questions, but probably you will get the chance to educate them at some point.
Realize that you may need to either comprimise your comfort level or reject the position on moral grounds. What if the parents tell you to let their 2 mo old Cry it out? Are you going to be able to do that? If not, you need to let them know or reject the job, you know?
Just be yourself, most of these interviews are around personalities meshing, just be kind and gentle and not too forceful.
Just my two cents.


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## jimblejamble

If I can just gush about my husband for a moment....

He just got me the greatest Valentine's Day gift ever!!! I came home to a brand new cage for the birds. We had 2 finches, Daphne and Henri (Henrietta...thought she was a boy at first so she started out as Henry but became Henri instead. Before her we had a little zebra finch named Herbert but my s-i-l's cat murdered him back in December







) in a pretty good sized cage but he got a parrot cage so it's a lot bigger, and...

2 more finches! 1 male zebra finch and 1 male society finch. Aww! They are so sweet! I'm trying to think of names for them. Ah, I just love them!

What a sweetie Chris is!







Now I feel lame, the gift I got him is so small. It's a shirt from ThinkGeek and it says "+20 shirt of smiting" on it. He used to say "+whatever aura of whatever" a lot. After our first date he wrote me a letter and said he loved my "+100 aura of happiness", for example.


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## ladyinred

Wow, it's been really quiet in here, how come? Everyone hibernating?

Sounds like some pretty awesome v-day presents Jessica









We did our v-day stuff last weekend. Nothing big, but we spent the weekend together, went out to dinner and watched a movie together. This weekend I'm spending with my friend who I haven't seen in a very long time. I hope everyone else is having a good V-day weekend and maybe some are doing some baby making


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## jaclyn7

Happy Sunday everyone!

We had a very quiet Valentine's as my husband actually worked, so I went out to dinner with my lovely parents.

Very quiet here, hope everyone is well. Food for thought, give a 6 word bio of yourself?!

Today, mine would be: Skipping in the in rain or sun.


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## Kyamo

I worked Valentines day too, but like I posted earlier, it isn't very important to us. My parents are on holiday in Florida, and keep sending me emails telling me what temperature it is! So depressing, despite that the weather has not been that bad around here the last couple of weeks. Nothing interesting to report here, really.


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## oiseau

.


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## Sage.Naissance

Hey guys,
My boy totally blew me off on Valentines day, and the next day. We are having a "talk" on wednesday because I have no clue what is going on with him. He is frustrating me to no end right now so I am looking forward to clearing the air but dreading actually having the conversation. I have no clue what I am going to say. I hope to be listening rather than talking but that might be a bit too hopeful.







: Great guy but really crappy communicator.
Other than that I started a new job working retail at a mom and baby boutique just up the street from me. Its a great job and I am luck to have landed it.
Tired and crabby lately. Otherwise good.


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## jaclyn7

Big hugs SN, hope your talk with your boy goes well. Things & people are who they are and there isn't much we can do other than to share our thoughts and see how they respond.

I'm not sleeping well at the moment either O, ugh. I was doing so well, but I just cannot seem to wind down at night lately.


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## patronia

Wow, I'm still on the list!

Hi ladies! I dunno if anyone remembers me, but TTC was put off late last year. I'm now hoping and praying that things fall into place this year. I've found God during my time off and have been praying constantly that things will work out this time








Yesterday I rang a local IVF clinic/sperm bank and am receiving info in the mail soon







It seems more "real" to me this time, so I'm taking that as a good sign









Congrats to anyone who's become pregnant while I was away!







:


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## Jenne

y'all!!!!

6 word bio for today- You're kidding! More green nose gunk?!

V-Day here was good. We sort of hibernated. We had a $5 price limit as well. DH got me a book of poetry and hand wrote 3 poems and drew a picture of a red rose as a card.







: I bought him a bag of Hershey Kisses and then wrote out new tags i.e. Kiss in the Dark, Kiss in the Movies, Kiss after Work. That sort of thing. He loves chocolate and sentiment so it worked.







On Sunday we went to see He's Just not that Into You. We both liked it a great deal and it was acutally 2.5 hours long. It was really good!

SN- Yuck! You deserve better! Good luck with the convo on Wednesday.

O and Jaclyn- Can you get adjusted? I just read that having your neck and skull out of alignment can cause rampant insomnia. ???

Welcome back Patronia!









Jenne


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## oiseau

.


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## ladyinred

Congrats Patriona, I hope all goes well.

Sage - I really hope your talk works out. It's hard sometimes to get communication going properly in a new relationship.

Meanwhile I'm feeling really really tired lately. I had a hard long weekend. My friend's mother passed away last Wednesday so I spent the past few days with her, being supportive and such. It was pretty draining and I haven't caught up on my sleep yet.

And everyone's having babies!!!!!







This summer quite a few important men in my life are having babies with their partners. My brother, a close friend from High School and a friend of my df's who I'm pretty close with are all having babies within three months of each other and it's both exciting and frustrating. All three of these men are people who want babies very much and will be amazing fathers. But #)*$# I want a baby! And I'm frustrated at the road block that's keeping me from even hoping right now. I don't buy baby books. I don't look at baby websites, I even try not to look at baby centred threads on MDC because it makes me too sad. I should be looking at the bright side. I get to be an aunt and an auntie to several more babies this year and that will help inform my parenting eventually.


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## terrordactyl

so i was wondering is anyones DH/DP younger than them and by how much and how old were you when you met?


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## patronia

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
And everyone's having babies!!!!!







This summer quite a few important men in my life are having babies with their partners. My brother, a close friend from High School and a friend of my df's who I'm pretty close with are all having babies within three months of each other and it's both exciting and frustrating. All three of these men are people who want babies very much and will be amazing fathers. But #)*$# I want a baby! And I'm frustrated at the road block that's keeping me from even hoping right now. I don't buy baby books. I don't look at baby websites, I even try not to look at baby centred threads on MDC because it makes me too sad. I should be looking at the bright side. I get to be an aunt and an auntie to several more babies this year and that will help inform my parenting eventually.

I can relate! Last year I was scrimping and saving and trying to find a way to TTC and everyone around me started getting pregnant! Two online friends got pregnant by accident, one of my old school friends AND my cousins wife, all pregnant at once. I was happy for all of them, but I was still upset because I wanted a baby. It will be a good practice for you, I haven't been around a baby since 2005, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to look after my own baby anymore!


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## Jenne

Yeah, I hear ya! I'm the oldest girl grandchild my older male cousin had a child 2 or 3 years ago...they are pregnant again and one of my younger cousins (that I happen to share my birthday with) is pregnant for the first time. My BFF is thinking about getting knocked up soon.

I have another freakin' sinus infection. I think I threw up so hard on Monday night that I lodged some emesis in my sinus cavity. NICE. Gross. Been sick all week and not sleeping well. Grrrr. Hates it hobbits.

My DH is almost exactly 6 months younger than I am.









Today's 6 word bio: Can't breathe I just want sleep.










Jenne


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## Sage.Naissance

Todays 6 word bio: Going slowly, cautiously optimistic, now communicating.

I had that big talk with my boy last night. It went pretty well. I think I clearly communicated that life is easier when people communicate and he made it clear that he wants to move slowly which is good with me. He appologized for bailing on me on valentines day, and said he was freaked out because it was valentines day and he didnt know how seriously I took that... Anyways I told him that he was being an idiot and that if he had of just communicated with me then none of that would have been a problem.
So we are now going slowly, I am cautiously optimistic, and he is (hopefullly) now communicating.
We'll see.


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## jimblejamble

6-word bio: Want to knit, stuck at work.


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## zejh

I haven't been paying enough attention, I guess... but I like the 6-word bio thing... So: Hungry and unproductive, going for food.







:

(Maybe once I've got more time later tonight, I'll actually say more...)


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## knittinanny

6 word bio (inspired by JessicaRenee): Got to knit at work today.

DP is a year and a half younger than me. We were 14 and 16 when we met (I had just turned 16).

On Monday we had our first consultation at the AI clinic we'll be using.







It's all pretty stressful though. We have lots of options, some very expensive. It's easy to get carried away really quickly when you want.babies.now.

We've also spent the last 3 days of our 'vacation' time from work reorganizing our basement. Currently everything we own is spread out throughout our house, waiting to be sorted and put in containers. It's a good mess...or something.

Sorry to hear you're sick, Jenne! Sage - cautious optimism is good. These days, I'm cautiously optimistic about everything.


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## geometricdune

Hello! I am new, as in today, to this forum. And as focused as I am on babies I have none of my own. I am holding off on the kids until I am done with my education and my partner and I are financially ready. I am going to be starting midwife school in the fall so I have atleast three more years to wait!

I am an obsesive knitter, and I see I am not the only one in this group. I also do lots of other art forms including mask making and plaster molds. I am very into natual and holistic health practices. I am tattooed and have purple hair. I am queer and poly, my girlfriend is first in the baby line so I will get my fix that way until it is my turn. I love learning about parenting as well as birth practices, I am going to be a midwife after all!

It is great to meet you all. I hope to make friends and learn in the process.


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## ladyinred

6 word bio for the day: Teaching Grade Four starting on Monday!!!!!!!

I had kind of a rough day teaching today. I've been in this class before and I knew they were a bit rough but they were worse than usual today. I was feeling pretty blah about it but I'm also very used to rough substitute teaching days. Then after I sent the kids to gym I got a message on my phone from the school district office. I called them back and lo and behold, my first long term substitute job! I start Monday and it goes until April, not sure when exactly, I'll get the details tomorrow unless we have storm day (we're in the middle of ANOTHER huge blizzard). So this means no more waiting for early morning calls for at least a month and being further up the seniority ladder which means I'm more likely to get a contract in the fall which means.... I may be able to start trying to have babies in 2010!!!







:







:







: Which Df agreed to







:







:







:

Welcome geometricdune! I hope you really enjoy it here. There seem to be a lot of people who are planning to become or are already dulas and midwives. It seems like such a wonderful life path, not mine but I really respect people who choose it. Maybe as my second career after I retire from teaching.

Hope you're feeling better soon Jenne!

Glad the communicating's going well Sage. Valentine's day can be really threatening to some people.

Df is older, 6 years older. I only ever dated a few people who were younger than me and I think I prefer older


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## CAndMe

Ah! So much!

Welcome to our new member!

For all who are currently TTC, I'm sending so much luck and love your way.

Jess, how are things? (and by things I mean baby







)

Shaina, Chris is 3 years older but my roommate's boyfriend is is 3 years younger (19 & 22 when they started dating).

I got the nannying job!! I start Monday. My schedule is officially going to be insane. 20 hrs a week at my retail job, about 30 nannying + school. But I'm so psyched to hang out with a 3mo all day!

6 word bio: Hoping to be more in control

I have been slacking lately. I am like miss procrastinator deluxe and it has really caught up with me.


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## Jenne

Thanks for the well wishes and healthy vibes y'all.







I appreciate it. Still sick. Last night was like a huge comedy of errors (luckily comedy and not tragedy!) I was so sleep deprived ( I cannot sleep whilst trying to breathe through my mouth) and DH and I agreed that taking the narcotic liquid goo would help me sleep. Instead of getting up and getting a TEASPOON I took a little sip from the bottle. DH says, "That was way more than a teaspoon!" I looked and he was right. Then we looked on the internet for info on overdosing. Then I made myself throw up. Then we called the pharmacist who was concerned but said I didn't need to go to the ER. Then I fell out with hallucinations and the like not sleeping but unable to open my eyes. Yeah. It was fun. My face is all puffy, my lips are cracked and bleeding on the inside. I am just not cut out for illicit or licit (ha!) drug use. The last thing I said to DH before being unable to open my eyes was, "Don't let me die." Then I had a hallucination that my sweet, sweet, timid dog attacked him. Luckily there was no blood. I said to DH, "Are you okay?" He said, "Yeah, I'm fine." Then the dog smiled at me and had tracers...and I thought, this isn't real and it's going to be a long night. The dog was in the living room.







Sigh...

So now I am timid about taking anything so I haven't had any mucinex yet although I am dry as a bone. This stinks.









6 word bio today: Not designed for drugs. Too sensitive.









Let's see...randomly (sorry) congrats on the new sub position and new nanny job. Hope the boy steps up and treats you right concerning communication. How's the baby? What's it feel like to be pregnant right now? Welcome!

Okay, must put this away for now...

Happy Friday y'all!
Jenne


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## jimblejamble

ARGH MDC ate my post. Anywho, baby's doing well and being nice to me! No more morning sickness or intense cravings for junk food (err, not as often anyway...hehe) so now I'm actually able to be productive and do dishes and make dinner. I just got a new job 1/2 a mile from our apartment so I think walking to & from work and getting the extra fresh air has helped a lot.









Happy Friday everyone!

ETA - We've also been thinking of names and we're thinking either Julia or Eowyn. Chris insists it's going to be a girl so we haven't talked about boy names.


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## patronia

So I found out yesterday that I'll have to be referred by my doctor if I want to use bank sperm. I'm kind of worried about trying to convince someone who has been helping me lately with some mental health issues that I'm in a good place to have a child.
But first of course, I'll have to save up enough money to keep me going for a few cycles, at $900+ a cycle, it's not cheap, but it's the best option at the moment







.


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## aquarius aspiring

I think I found the right place!







:

I've been lurking on MDC for quite a while and decided I should introduce myself.

I'm in the midst of crazy baby fever right now. I have two furbabies, but no human babies. My baby lust has come on hard-core since FH and I got engaged. We're moving in together in May, having a civil ceremony in mid-May, and then a vow renewal and reception in October.

I'm also trying to get into graduate school. *crosses fingers* I'm just waiting to hear back from the schools I applied to.

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. For some reason, I'm drawn to AP and can't stay away from MDC or various LJ communities.

As you'll notice in my signature, FH and I are three years from TTC. Of course, that all hinges on whether I can get into graduate school. School will take about two years and then I want to get a full-time job with benefits because I'm working two part-time jobs with no benefits right now.

I'm 27 now, which really doesn't bother me. I figured I'd have kids at some point; I never had a exact age in mind. I wouldn't mind having my first baby at thirty as long as my fertility is good to go. I'm already having problems with stress incontinence and ovarian cysts, but I feel like I'm okay.

Of course, with that being said, I know babies come any time they please, which is just fine with FH and me. We'll be preventing for now, but surprises will be welcomed with open arms and loving hearts!

Whew! I think that's it for now. Nice to meet everyone!


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## rroso

Hi everyone!

I'm new here, but not new to the world of babymania and ttc. I live in Iowa & have a small menagerie. I'm a 27 year old nanny, student, wife, vegan, environmentalist, animal lover & home birth activist. I'm planning on becoming a postpartum doula and lactation consultant. I love working with mamas and babies & can think of nothing more rewarding than helping a mother nourish & bond with her new babe. Also, I think boobs are awesome









DH and I started ttc 5 years ago and still no dice. We recently visited the RE and, as long his semen analysis comes back normal, we will be starting clomiphene in April. I'm incredibly excited & I'm think 2009 is finally going to be our year.








:


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## Jenne

Welcome ladies!







So glad you found us!

rroso there is a good thread on boosting fertility naturally in the infertility thread. If you haven't already checked it out, you might want to. I learned, for example, that soy isoflavonoids can act simliarly to clomid.







In case you didn't want to wait for results.









Hope everyone is doing well. I'm finally feeling a little bit better.









Jenne


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## NCOwifey

I've posted to some other boards on here, but I saw this thread and it looks like the place for me. I'm here mostly to learn. We may TTC sometime next year ... considered doing it this year, but we're in the process of buying a house at the moment. Taking out that mortgage is its own form of birth control, KWIM?

I'm also on my first cycle off the pill, so I guess you could also say I'm CTA, though I don't quite have the hang of it yet!

I have a lot on my mind lately about babies and motherhood, but I'll reserve those discussions for later. I've been obsessed with babies, and with what I'll call the culture of motherhood, for about 3-4 years now. Can't quite explain it. It started not with babylust, but with looking at moms my age with amazement, just wondering how they manage to do it. Wondering if I could do it someday, and when the desire for a baby would finally hit.

Now the majority of my closest friends are married, and many have at least one baby as well as plans for another. I guess I'm finally at that point in my life, socially, psychologically and financially, where I can also say I'm ready. That realization in itself was an awesome experience.

I may be in the minority here ... I am entering my 30s, and I am actually ready for a baby *earlier* than I had anticipated. I'm really involved in my career and professional activities, so I had always thought I'd want to wait until my late 30s to start having kids. Guess I thought wrong!







:


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## tippy

hey everyone!

i've been MIA but still lurking.

congrats to all the new mommas to be! and welcome to everyone that recently joined.

well, dh and i have pushed back ttc for a couple of months. this semester has been so busy for me (i have a paper due in apr for my class), and we are going out of town for a wedding, and then dh has a few business trips in the months of mar-apr. so we've decided to wait until about june. dh also wants us to pay off our car (which should be in about 3 mos), so pushing it back seems best for now.









i just wish i could feel 100% ready, but i guess no one really is...


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## ladyinred

To all the new people! I hope you like it here









More babies and pregnant people all around but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is helping. Plus I'm really busy with my new class so that helps too. I'm loving teaching the same class every day and getting to do my own planning. I'm trying to integrate some gentle discipline methods but sometimes I fall back on old habits. One boy in my class really got me frustrated on Friday and it turned into a real power struggle which I hate but I wasn't feeling well and he was being defiant which I find really hard to deal with. But now it's March Break so I have a whole week to plan what I want to do for the next month


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## aquarius aspiring

The other night while working at the library, I found a brochure for Attachment Parenting International on the community board. I was thrilled to find a local representative for API. I e-mailed her and she seemed really really nice.

I showed FH the brochure last night and he read about the different principles that AP stands for. He then commented, "It's really sad that there has to be a brochure for this kind of thing." I then replied, "Yeah, seems like common sense, right?" His reponse was, "Yeah!"

FH and I have talked a lot about children. We know they will be loved and we will show them everyday that they are loved. I didn't know if there was any need to try to "convert" FH to AP, but after that little conversation, I think he'll be fine with it!


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## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aquarius aspiring* 
The other night while working at the library, I found a brochure for Attachment Parenting International on the community board. I was thrilled to find a local representative for API. I e-mailed her and she seemed really really nice.

I showed FH the brochure last night and he read about the different principles that AP stands for. He then commented, "It's really sad that there has to be a brochure for this kind of thing." I then replied, "Yeah, seems like common sense, right?" His reponse was, "Yeah!"

FH and I have talked a lot about children. We know they will be loved and we will show them everyday that they are loved. I didn't know if there was any need to try to "convert" FH to AP, but after that little conversation, I think he'll be fine with it!









My husband has been pretty receptive to everything I've brought up like that--I think it helps that nearly everything AP is much cheaper than the mainstream way of doing things, but I think he would've agreed to nearly anything even if it cost more. But, like, being able to point out how much of those cost-of-a-baby estimates are based on things we won't (knock-on-wood) be doing or using, it's icing on the cake.


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## Jenne

We made our last payment on our down payment for our new house today and then went back to see the model home again. While we were there DH said, "So, which of these rooms will be for the first baby?" I said, "Well, the one that is closest to our room. But we won't need it for awhile." He said, "This is the one that will be my room unless we share a room, right?" I said, "Yeah, but a kid wouldn't need a room for awhile cause they'd be in with us." He said, "We should just leave this empty for now. I think we'll have babies sooner rather than later."







:







:







:

Ah.









Isn't it great to have partners in our lives that 1) listen to our ideas 2) agree that kindness and gentleness is where it's at and 3) love us!!! We are all just so lucky!









Those of you looking for a great partner...keep it up...there are wonderful men and women out there waiting for you!









Sorry, I'm feeling sappy today and the above posts just added more fuel to the fire!!!









Hoping for lots of snow tonight! All the better for snuggling...
Jenne


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## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
...
Isn't it great to have partners in our lives that 1) listen to our ideas 2) agree that kindness and gentleness is where it's at and 3) love us!!! We are all just so lucky!








...

I definitely appreciate my husband on all of those!

And... I'm also appreciating having a place like this to talk until I actually have a baby of my own! It's weird, in a way... I still enjoy playing with other people's children when I get the chance, but as I've gotten older and closer to when I'll hopefully have my own, I find it increasingly frustrating, particularly with little babies. You know how a lot of people complain about how when they get married people start asking when they'll have kids? I'm getting kind of annoyed at the assumption that while, yes, people know we're planning on kids, we of course would want to be waiting a few years. Like, I'm 31? *sigh* One of my friends made some comment about how of course we'd want a dog or something first. No, not really. She did understand when I pointed out that she likes children the way I like dogs--she's perfectly happy to see other people's children and play with them a bit, but has no interest in any of her own.

Not to say we won't eventually have a dog or cat or both or several, but that'll wait till we have a yard and an actual house instead of an apartment. (I know some people would want to wait to have a house before having children, but even with prices going down like they have been, in this area we're still talking about waiting minimum 2 or 3 years, more realistically 4 or 5 years... so, the real question will be whether we have a second child before getting a house... I'm definitely hoping we have a house before a third child, at least!)

Anyhow... just babbling here. Getting back to the point, I love my husband, and the fact that we're more or less on the same page on things means I don't really care what other people think. His opinion is the only one besides mine that really matters in all this.


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## NCOwifey

I think I will like having this place to discuss baby stuff too. I also post to ivillage's waiting to try board every so often.

It's funny to me how I have lots of friends with babies or planning on babies, but when we get together the subject doesn't really come up too much. I feel like, I don't know exactly what I want to talk about, but there is definitely something I want to talk about, questions I want to ask. I think a lot of people I see in real time just sort of feel like everyone does their own thing when it comes to having kids, so there's no point in discussing it ... kind of like getting your oil changed or going to the dentist, lol.

Well, for me it is a huge, life-changing prospect, and I'm glad others feel that way too. For me, it's not something intimate and private that I want to go through alone. When the time comes, I want to feel a real sense of community in the process.

You know what it is? I don't just want to talk to them about whether their kids are starting on solids, or sleeping through the night, or taking their first step. I want to talk about thing like the philosophical and political aspects of taking on parenthood, what the lifestyle and culture is like (turning happy hour into play dates, for example), and the really hard questions everyone has to face, like how will having a baby realistically impact my career? I tend to overanalyze things, but that's the only way I feel good about taking big steps in life.

But maybe my desire for all this knowledge is just a sign that I'm ready to have a baby and learn all these things from my own experiences, rather than the experiences of others. So often I have asked one of my abstract questions about "what is your life like as a mommy?" only to be answered with "you just sort of figure it out when you get there."


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## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Barrister Neko* 
...
But maybe my desire for all this knowledge is just a sign that I'm ready to have a baby and learn all these things from my own experiences, rather than the experiences of others. So often I have asked one of my abstract questions about "what is your life like as a mommy?" only to be answered with "you just sort of figure it out when you get there."

Yeah, I think that's part of it... the few kids whom I've gotten to see often enough to kind of get to know them (mostly my cousins', but a few friends) make me realize just how much (and how early!) they're all individuals, and if I don't to spend a lot of time with them, I might as well be looking at a picture or watching a video... (I sometimes wonder if the reason I enjoy toddlers more than babies is just because everybody seems to want a turn at holding a baby, while not everybody enjoys running around after 2-year-olds, so I actually end up with time to really get to know kids that age...)

With my IRL friends who also want kids, the subject actually comes up most when someone's parents make a comment about "not being ready" or such, which is rather funny since we've all hit 30 already... (Ironically, the friend getting the most grief is the only one of this bunch of us who's ready to buy a house...)









Bleh, so, anyway, more snow. I'm so ready for spring--my bulbs were starting to come up this weekend, which is really early for this area, so hopefully they'll still be able to come up when it's actually a good time for them...


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## NCOwifey

I hear ya about the snow ... I'm in CT, just called into work so I don't need to jump on the highway.







:

The not being ready thing is funny ... you could be 20 years old and totally ready, or 40 and still not ready. Or you may be ready financially but not emotionally, or vice versa. Once I was able to accept that there's no right time or age to be "ready", I got past a lot of my insecurities over whether I'll ever be able to be a mom. I still struggle with it though.

A few days ago at a baby's one year birthday party, a friend (childless) offered to get the mom a plate of food for baby, since mom and baby were occupied. Mom says "sure, go make up a plate of, you know, whatever a baby can eat." The friend came back with a hard roll, some cheese, maybe something else ... I was just like, how is it that you don't have kids yet either, but you somehow know what a one-year-old can eat and I don't?! I know this person just has more experience with kids than I do ... but I can't help but feel stressed over how I am going to learn what kids need once my own baby comes along. In other words, I feel like I will constantly be in "Mission: Keep the Baby Alive" mode, and not "ah - I get this now".







:


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## Jenne

Neko- But I think you can relax a little. Take it stage by stage. There is no sense feeling like you have to know everything from birth to well into adulthood on how to be a parent all at once. When you are pregnant you study and learn about how to be a good mom to a newborn. Then once you have a newborn you learn about the next stage and so on. No matter how much you plan and prepare though there will absolutely be times when you have no idea. I guess, to me, that what makes it such an adventure.







It will be okay though. You will know what you need to know, when you need to know it.







I bet that now, if someone told you to make a plate for a 1 year old, you could!







We are always learning...









We just got a dusting of snow here. I wish it were more. Coming from Wisconsin and Illinois I find the lack of snow here most winters sad. No sledding.







Anyway, y'all keep warm!

Jenne


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## NCOwifey

Thanks Jenne -

I have to keep reminding myself that there's nothing wrong with me when I don't know these things. And, there's nothing to prove by knowing more than the next person at any given time ... life is not a contest! That's another issue I have sometimes, as much as I hate to admit it.

Everyone around here says they hate the snow, yet we all continue to live here! It's hysterical. DH is down in South Carolina for training, where they got hit with an unusual amount of snow for that area, so people are freaking out.

Melanie


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## oiseau

.


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## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *oiseau* 
...

Also, if anyone wants to check out a good AP-themed book, I recommend Our babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small. I just finished it and really enjoyed reading it. The book is about the newly emerging field of ethnopediatrics...basically, looking across cultures and evolutionarily speaking about how best to raise babies. The environment humans and their babies evolved in and thus, the fundamental needs of babies and how best to meet them. As a scientist, it was really cool to read.

Thanks, I'll have to check that out! I'm trying to get in a lot of the non-how-to reading done early on, and I've always loved anthropological stuff (The summer I was 11 we were living near a beach, but I still preferred to go to the anthropology museum in the afternoons, even though I'm a big fan of swimming and sandcastles... I think I got in for free because it was attached to the university my parents were teaching at, so that helped.)

My recent (past year or so) reading has included Pushed and Parenting, Inc. (Both different aspects of "what's wrong with society" as regards to having kids these days... If you hang around these boards, you've probably heard of the former, and the latter is about the expensive things marketed to parents as "necessities", many of which no one had even thought of 30 or 40 years ago...) Another interesting book if you've got a science bent is Survival of the Sickest, which isn't directly related to kids or parenting, but in terms of medicine, it definitely gets you thinking.

Oh, and I'm looking at Our Babies, Ourselves on Amazon, and I have to say, it's always interesting reading the negative reviews for things...


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## Sage.Naissance

Warning: Rant
I think I mentioned this, but I work at a mom and baby boutique now. Today two women probably in their early forties were in, but one was pregnant and the other obviously started having kids pretty late and they were gushing over this really cute thing that I had just gushed over to my boss two days before. I said "I was just saying yesterday how badly I wanted to dress a baby in that" and she looked at me and said 'hopefuly not yours.' As though the thought of such a rediculously young person having a child was just offensive.
First of all, I am twenty three and I probably look more like 26, let alone the fact that I have been caring for other peoples kids for the last three years, Im a professional doula, lactation counsillor, student midwife and am working in a baby store. Nevermind the fact that my mother had me by the time she was my age, and my boss had her daughter at twenty and both were rockin AP moms that provided solid wholesome upbringings. Nevermind the fact that this lady doesnt know ANYTHING about me, but assumes that I would be a bad mother.
So I said nothing but of course now I am sitting here thinking of things I should have said:
'No, my babies have all outgrown things that small!'
or
'No I have all boys, hoping number five will be a girl though!'
or
'No, I just dress my babies in paperbags so I can save money for my crack habit'
or
'up yours lady!'

I cant even tell you the amount of agism I have experienced since starting birth work. Its like some of the new generation of professional women having babies late in life have taken the whole feminism notion too far, become elitist and chalked having babies before thirty up to being white trash and irresponsible. I really dont even look that young.
I reckon they are just jelous of my perky breasts and good skin. haha.
Anyways totally frustrating.
No one should be descriminated on because of when they choose to have kids. I think my next article will be about age descrimination in parenting.

Oiseau that is such a bummer. It would kill me if I got to the point where I was ready in all areas but my partner wasnt.
Happy to be in the pacific northwest without snow! There are dafodils out front of my house!

Hope y'all are well. I am happy for y'all who are lucky enough to have amazing husbands! I hope I have one oneday!


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## NCOwifey

Aw Sage, that is terrible, I'm sorry. She is just ignorant and yes, perhaps jealous. I suspect that her feelings have less to do with her perceptions of you, and more to do with her own insecurities about whether she will be a good mother, whether she got started too late, etc. This is something I've struggled with as well, putting myself in the place of that older woman. Until recently, I thought there was a right age, level of material accomplishment, and frame of mind you needed to have before having a baby. This attitude was finally dispelled by meeting more and more people in different places in life who have children, and are obviously doing ok with it. I have become a lot more confident, although I still need a boost now and then - as expressed in my earlier posts.

I would be really interested in reading that article if you write it. I read in a study somewhere that a comparison of moms in their 20s, 30s, and 40s showed no significant difference in parenting knowledge/ability/comfort in terms of age alone. Rather, the common denominator was that first-time moms in all 3 groups had the same issues and concerns, and the biggest difference was between first-time moms versus moms with a 2nd or 3rd child. Hmm, I didn't explain that very eloquently, did I? It's early in the morning for me ...

You know - not that this makes it better - it could be that the woman in the store thought you were much, much younger, like 18 or 19! I'm 30 and last night my aunt's friend told me she thought I was 27 ... and that if she hadn't already known I was older than my cousin, I could have passed for even younger. I love when this happens!







A while back this older guy told me, sure you look exactly 30.


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## CAndMe

Sage, that was pretty rude of that lady. In the 2 years I have worked in a mom&babe store not a single person has made a comment like that so I hope yours was a fluke. In fact, most people are surprised I _don't_ have any kids and I'm only 19 and probably look 23, max. (oh, and some friends of mine are moving to Portland this summer so I told them if they got knocked up to let me know and I'd send them your way







)

The nannying job has been going wonderfully! I'm totally in love with this babe. Down side is that the little desire I once had to finish school has pretty much deteriorated. Anyone think I can get by with the first 2 years of a human development degree?


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## Jenne

CAandMe- I know I sound like an old lady but you should finish your degree. Even if it sucks and you hate it, you should stick it out. Once you get out of school and the habit of those types of demands it will be much harder to go back. You might be able to get by with only 2 years but the options of a 4 year degree are exponentially larger. Basically with a 4 year degree you qualify for any entry level job in any field. Those kinds of options are good to have in life--even if you never go outside your field. I think jumping through hoops is silly but in this case it really can make a difference. Not to say you couldn't have a perfectly fine life with 2 years because you could. I just tend to be on the safe side of life time planning and try to hedge my bets i.e. have the most options available.







What ever you decide will be the right choice for you!
















Sage- I think a lot of people assume (see my above post!







ha!) that because a life choice they made was right for them that it would be right for everyone. In that same framework *not* making the same decision becomes wrong. How narrow minded. At least you took the higher ground (my judgement!) and ignored the bigotry.

If y'all haven't tried the NY Times noknead bread recipe you definitely should. It is super easy and super yummy. Basically mix it, let it sit, throw it in a pan...viola perfect bread...I'm off to eat some right now...







:

Jenne


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## ladyinred

So much to reply to!

First off, while DF doesn't have a whole lot of experience with babies, he's pretty open to most suggestions I've had, though he's not so sure about the co-sleeping thing, mostly because he's afraid he'll roll over on the baby. I told him he doesn't roll over on the cats there's no need to worry about rolling on the baby. He's still not convinced but if we have to I'll get sides for the bed and keep the baby on the other side of me. Or sleep in the spare room/my office but I would hate to do that unless I really have to. We're still a few years from trying I think which is hard on me sometimes but probably good.

I feel like starting to have kids at 30 (which is what I'm facing as I'm 27) is late and I can't imagine looking down on someone in their 20's for wanting kids. I know it seems like have kids in your 20's is the new "teen mom" thing but seriously, people in their 20's have more sense than teenagers. Their brains are fully developed and they generally are taking care of themselves. I don't see why that would make someone unfit for parenthood. I think as long as someone truly wants to have children and is mature enough to deal with the responsibility of bringing a child into their lives (and ideally is with someone else who wants children and will help raise them or has lots of support from people around them to help them out) then it doesn't really matter their age.

BTW - People often think I'm a lot younger than I am. I still get carded on occasion and I had a student ask if I was in High School or Middle School.....


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## Jenne

So...can I just vent a little?
















We met my fil today for coffee and he was discussing my sil who is pregnant. I basically have less than no relationship with this woman (the last time I spoke with her she told me my grandma was going to die if she had shoulder surgery. ((sil is in medicine)) Yeah. Not such a nice person. ((Gramma is doing just fine btw.














)) ) but she is pregnant with my nephew and I've flirted with the idea of getting her and bil a subscription to Mothering. DH and I discussed it when they first announced their pregnancy but decided we should wait to see how they were going to approach things as we didn't want to further strain our relationship. I have feared that she would have a very medicalized birth but in the back of my mind was able to tell myself, "people do what works for them. If that's what she wants...fine!" Anyway, today fil says that she is going to have the baby a few days early via c-section as to be able to attend dh's younger brother's wedding. Oh, and also because the baby is "huge" according to the numerous scans they have had. I was concerned and said, "Does she have GD?" FIL says "No, it's just a big baby and she isn't sure she wants to pass something that big." Anyway, after the convo on our way home I said to DH that I guess we shouldn't get them the magazine after all. I was sad for her having surgery and sad for the baby coming too early but whatever, happens everyday. But just now, sitting here, it dawned on me that they will probably have him cut.





















It just makes me so sad. I'm trying not to jump to other conclusions about the cio and such but I have very little hope for this baby. Not to say that mainstream babes can't be happy. But, sigh. I know keeping my mouth shut is no guarantee that they won't harp on our decisions but I'm hoping. Anyway...obviously if they ask for input (they won't) I'll be more than happy to provide it re: circ and cio ebf...

hey, anyone want their email address to love bomb their inboxes with research?







Mostly kidding....





































Thanks for listening.







At this point DH and I are just hoping we are allowed to have interaction with the babe. Here's to hoping!









Jenne

UPDATE: I just spoke with DH. I asked if he would be willing to email BIL a list of websites RE: circ. He said, "Well, I'm not sure how it would come up, but yeah, I can do that." Ahhhh. I love this man! I sent him a modified version of the first 2 posts on the TCAC stickie of resources. I took out all the restoring stuff and personal stories websites cause I don't think that will play well. I feel so much better!


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## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
Down side is that the little desire I once had to finish school has pretty much deteriorated. Anyone think I can get by with the first 2 years of a human development degree?


I agree with Jenne. Go back to school if you can. Especially since you don't have little ones yet. You will be able to do a lot with that degree. I know that's often not a popular sentiment on MDC but I think there's value in getting a college degree. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jenne- I fear that this will be my relationship with my sister in the future. I know that she will make all mainstream choices and it's going to kill me inside. So, I can definitely commiserate. All I can say is to remind yourself that they are her choices because it will just suck up your mental and emotional energy. And... just thank God (or whoever) that it's not your body and it's not your children that is being put through all of that crap.

So...I think this might be vent day. But, I am definitely feeling down about the whole trying to find a husband thing. It seems so far off and I feel like it's never going to happen. My worst fear is to be 30 and unmarried/not engaged yet. I find it hard to live in the moment rather than constantly just waiting for the next step in my life.


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## NCOwifey

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
Down side is that the little desire I once had to finish school has pretty much deteriorated. Anyone think I can get by with the first 2 years of a human development degree?

I don't know anything about the human development field, but since you're young and have the time now I would strongly suggest finishing your education, unless your heart is truly not in it and school is making you utterly miserable. Especially with the job market the way it is right now, at least for most professions, you want to have as much useful schooling and experience on your resume as possible.

Again, I don't know your field, but my general advice is to research your industry/profession and see what the expected salary is in comparison to your tuition. I know that deviates from the prevailing "follow your heart" career advice, but unless you're independently wealthy, I think it pays to be practical.

This is an awesome career advice website geared toward Gen X/Gen Y:

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/

Good luck!


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## NCOwifey

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
I find it hard to live in the moment rather than constantly just waiting for the next step in my life.

Aw, this exact statement could have come from me. People are always telling me to slow down and just enjoy the present, which I do think is good advice, a la Eckhart Tolle. But it's so hard when there's something you want so badly that you must wait for!

I am a huge fan of making plans. Sometimes the act of creating a plan (for a wedding, to buy a house, to start TTC, to decide on childcare/work issues, etc.) is more comforting to me than actually following through on it, lol. Written/typed words staring you in the face can be very powerful. If anything, they help psychologically by taking your innermost thoughts and externalizing them, in a sense, even if there's no one you can discuss these things with in person.

As for the in person conversations, I would like to have more discussions with my friends, moms and non-moms alike, about how much I would like a baby right now, and all the hopes and fears that come with that. But I often feel like I need to censor myself somehow, because it's too weird, or the person will not be receptive. And the friends who I think would be the most sympathetic are either too busy to talk or too preoccupied (like, by their kids crawling all over them, lol) to have a meaningful conversation.


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## Jenne

kimiij- Oh, please don't despair. The perfect partner is out in the world having the experiences he needs to have to become the right guy for you! As someone who found my love when I was WELL into my 30th year--it isn't the end of the world to be older and find love! In fact, it is wonderful.







: Hang in there. Have a great time living your life. People are attracted to happiness.







Love will come. It will be perfect. And perfectly timed.









Sorry for the sappy.









Jenne


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## kimiij

Thanks ladies! I know that being 30 and single isn't the worst thing in the world but I would have loved to be a young mother/wife and it's just not going to happen at this point. Last night I was having a pity party...I hold them every few months or so









I'm still working through all of this but I definitely believe that as Jenne says, "People are attracted to happiness." So...I'm trying to make a concerted effort to stop the moping and just live my life.


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## oiseau

.


----------



## aquarius aspiring

Quote:


Originally Posted by *oiseau* 
My partner and I celebrated our 3 yr anniversary yesterday (3yrs of dating, not marriage...yet). We went out for sushi and were hoping for bubble tea, but the bubble tea lady appeared to have taken a snow day.

Oh, bubble tea is the best! I love sucking up those little tapioca pearls. Everyone looks at me like I'm nuts when I do that.


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## SilvanaRose

Hello ladies







I found this thread and I think I just may fit in perfect. I just turned 26 last month and so far Im not a mama and I never considered myself a kid person until now. However, I met the most amazing guy after years of heartbreaking relationships and I have never wanted to have a baby so bad until a few months ago. We both really want kids. I had a m/c in Jan and I feel like it was a child poking or testing me to see if I was ready for them yet hehe. I thought I was pregnant up until today and Im still not sure....my period was due 2 days ago and I started bleeding a little today (little more than spotting) but this is nowhere near the intensity of my reg ones.

I am Canadian and my DP is an American and right now we are trying to get the visa situation sorted out so we can get married. Im 'visiting' atm and unable to work so Im spending my days reading everything I can on natural living and parenting and it feels well, natural. I moved away from all my friends so I dont know a single person except who hes introduced me to. I would love to have more people to talk to even if its over a forum









I hope to get to know some of you and Im very happy I stumbled on this thread... yay!

Sara


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## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SilvanaRose* 
I am Canadian and my DP is an American and right now we are trying to get the visa situation sorted out so we can get married. Im 'visiting' atm and unable to work so Im spending my days reading everything I can on natural living and parenting and it feels well, natural. I moved away from all my friends so I dont know a single person except who hes introduced me to. I would love to have more people to talk to even if its over a forum









Welcome Silvana.

I am Canadian with an American husband too. We got married so I could sponsor him family class, so he's now a permanent resident. He has enough years of residence (3) now that he could take the citizenship test, if he would bother to study.


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## aquarius aspiring

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SilvanaRose* 
Hello ladies







I found this thread and I think I just may fit in perfect. I just turned 26 last month and so far Im not a mama and I never considered myself a kid person until now.

I hope to get to know some of you and Im very happy I stumbled on this thread... yay!

Sara

*waves hello from another Sara*

Welcome! I just stumbled on this place myself. It's a great place to talk about everything.


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## aquarius aspiring

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Barrister Neko* 
I am a huge fan of making plans. Sometimes the act of creating a plan (for a wedding, to buy a house, to start TTC, to decide on childcare/work issues, etc.) is more comforting to me than actually following through on it, lol. Written/typed words staring you in the face can be very powerful. If anything, they help psychologically by taking your innermost thoughts and externalizing them, in a sense, even if there's no one you can discuss these things with in person.

I know what you mean! Though, my only list so far is what I want to have or do before having babies. It's nice to get some sort of a foundation in mind before embarking on a new adventure.


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## akaisha

ok, how is it that i've been constantly forgetting about the lovely NMYers lately?! not cool at all.

ummmm, yeah i've been super busy. traveling around the UK, heading to italy and france next week! oh yeah, and planning a wedding, which is nearly done now. i've been hanging out over at the offbeat bride tribe more than on MDC lately, since my mind is pretty much consumed with all things non-traditional wedding.

been having serious baby cravings this month...i've had to resist the urge to go buy random onesies.

congrats on your pregnancy jessica! and texmati too, if she's still here.







:


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## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aquarius aspiring* 
Oh, bubble tea is the best! I love sucking up those little tapioca pearls. Everyone looks at me like I'm nuts when I do that.









I've only had bubble tea once but thought that it was the most strange and amazing thing ever







I'd love to have it again.

As far as planning for the future goes, to be honest, before I met my df I was planning to do what I'm doing now, get a job teaching, a place to live and then have a baby even if I didn't have a significant other. When I told Df this early in our relationship he was really shocked but it didn't seem so terrible to me. I wanted a kid. If that meant going out and getting knocked up by some guy at the library (my bff and I planned this "library coop" because we felt it was safer than getting knocked up by a guy at a bar) and then be a single mom, so be it. I'm really glad I do have df so I don't have to be a single mom, but that's how committed I was to my plan to have at least one child. Not that I'd recommend that plan, but luckily being a single mother doesn't have the stigmatism and as many of the hardships as it used to have.


----------



## rubyinthedust

I can definitely relate to some of the feelings expressed lately!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
So...I think this might be vent day. But, I am definitely feeling down about the whole trying to find a husband thing. It seems so far off and I feel like it's never going to happen. My worst fear is to be 30 and unmarried/not engaged yet. I find it hard to live in the moment rather than constantly just waiting for the next step in my life.

I too could have written this, especially the last part. I've been rather baby crazy for a while now, but lately I've totally felt like I _need_ to be a mother and I'm just biding my time til I can find a partner and start a family. Most people I know would think that sounds crazy enough, never mind that I'm also only 19. Realistically, I know I want to finish my degree (a little over a year left!) and do some travelling, work a little bit, but it's hard to imagine things much farther down the road than that without kids. So when I think logically I know I want to continue on with my studies and all, but my emotions frequently take over! It's hard to bare sometimes.

Quote:

As for the in person conversations, I would like to have more discussions with my friends, moms and non-moms alike, about how much I would like a baby right now, and all the hopes and fears that come with that. But I often feel like I need to censor myself somehow, because it's too weird, or the person will not be receptive. And the friends who I think would be the most sympathetic are either too busy to talk or too preoccupied (like, by their kids crawling all over them, lol) to have a meaningful conversation.
Barrister Neko, I've often felt the same way about this, particularly about feeling like I need to censor myself. My best friend and I often talk about how baby crazy we both are and also how young we are, so we'd be infinitely more crazy to some people if they knew about these conversations. But even she doesn't want to discuss it as often as I do. Then I've mentioned it in passing to some other friends, but I feel a bit weird then because most women my age are desperately hoping to NOT become pregnant and here I am hoping for some miracle.









Though it gives me such joy when there are those rare conversations where I can speak with someone about babies, that I hope to have them, and the manner in which I hope to raise them (very AP, obviously). For example, I had a long conversation with my mom the other day in which she had brought up something about when my brothers and I were babies and that turned into discussing some of her own parenting practices, such as not CIO, BFing, BWing, etc. It was so nice to talk with someone so close to me about how I totally agree with those practices and that I someday want to do that with my own babies. But I still felt like I had to contain myself a little even with my own mom because she doesn't know how passionate I have become about APing.

I'm thankful for things like that because they're what keep me from going insane from the baby fever, along with being able to post on MDC with you other NMYs.


----------



## rubyinthedust

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
As far as planning for the future goes, to be honest, before I met my df I was planning to do what I'm doing now, get a job teaching, a place to live and then have a baby even if I didn't have a significant other. When I told Df this early in our relationship he was really shocked but it didn't seem so terrible to me. I wanted a kid. If that meant going out and getting knocked up by some guy at the library (my bff and I planned this "library coop" because we felt it was safer than getting knocked up by a guy at a bar) and then be a single mom, so be it. I'm really glad I do have df so I don't have to be a single mom, but that's how committed I was to my plan to have at least one child. Not that I'd recommend that plan, but luckily being a single mother doesn't have the stigmatism and as many of the hardships as it used to have.

I've said the same sort of thing to one of my friends about just going out and getting knocked up when the baby fever gets to be too much (jokingly, but partly wanting to be serious). I hadn't thought of the the library idea though! I'll have to keep that in mind.









It doesn't sound terrible to me either. I guess that's what can happen when you're committed to becoming a mother.


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## Jenne

My plan was to attend the "Engineering Society" meeting or the "Med Student mixer" over at the local university.











































:







:









Y'all have a good Saturday. Dh and I are gonna go buy a test...









Jenne


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## akaisha

jenne, that sounds exciting!


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## Sage.Naissance

Haha Jenne, I just made a joke about something like that the other day. It is my goal to work for at least a year with Medecins Sans Frontiers (doctors without borders) after I finish school. I was joking to some friends that ultimately I hope to come out of it with a humanitarian pediatrician husband.
Yeah, I really wonder when I will meet someone who I would conceivably want to spend the rest of my life with. This guy I am dating right now is definitely not THE ONE.

You know reading all of your posts got me thinking. I am not baby crazy. I dont have baby fever, and I guess I never really have. I dont NEED to be a mom right now. I am excited about motherhood and look forward to it and think inevidably its not that far off. In some ways I want to fast forward to that place in my life, but not really in the end. Obviously my whole life is very close to mothering, between working at baby stores, doulaing and midwifery.... but I guess I am really not here because I cant stand every moment that I am not a mother. I am enjoying my single adventurous twenties and glad that I am experiencing them. I still place a value on what I am doing right now. I look forward to having babes but I am not obsessed with it.

Anyways I just noticed that a lot of you were using words I couldnt relate to and it just made me think: Where am I at with this whole thing? Why am I part of this group? and I thought I would share my conclusions with you.


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## rubyinthedust

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
I am enjoying my single adventurous twenties and glad that I am experiencing them. I still place a value on what I am doing right now. I look forward to having babes but I am not obsessed with it.

Anyways I just noticed that a lot of you were using words I couldnt relate to and it just made me think: Where am I at with this whole thing? Why am I part of this group? and I thought I would share my conclusions with you.

It sounds like you're in a good mental place that I at times wish I was in. It seems like you're able to enjoy the present and your current life situation, like other previous posters had mentioned having trouble with.

I was not always baby crazy either though. I have always enjoyed children for as long as I can remember, but I'd say it's only been the past year or so that I've felt more than an interest and an excitement about someday becoming a mother, but a _need_ to do so and somewhat of an obsession about it.

That makes me wonder though, how did I get to that point? How do any of us get to the totally baby crazy point? Is it something biological or emotional or what? Personally, I had grown a lot as a person just before becoming baby crazy, but I'm sure I still have maturing to do and more life experiences to enjoy. At times, it feels like a biological need, like my body hungers for a baby just like it would hunger for food. I'm not sure what my conclusion would be though.


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## akaisha

Sage, I agree with you. Every now and again I get this very strange "I want a baby right now!" thing, but it's not enough to make me do it. I'm having so much fun doing what I'm doing right now and traveling all over the world and meeting all sorts of people, as much as I'd like to have a baby in the not so distant future, if it happened right now my initial reaction would not be happy.


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## Sage.Naissance

Great to hear your feedback girls!

Soooooo. I got broken up with yesterday! Bummer. I am pretty okay with it but is always a bit of an ego kill. I kind of knew it would happen eventually. I knew he was not really relationship material. I really liked him though. And really, I think he liked me. I realize its not about me but about him... His emotiomal issues.
I feel bad for him a bit. I think he has so many issues with relationships like he might be a 40 yr old bachelor. He has a lot to offer but he just cant open himself up to that part of himself. I had a drink afterwards with my best friends partner who is an old friend of his from childhood and he said it has a lot to do with his heavily religious upbringing and his parents' relationship.
In anycase I am disappointed but not suprised, nor that torn up about it. I will miss the sex though...







I know the intellectual element of our relationship will be maintained through friendship... still I will have a hard time not going home with him at the end of the night, or not having our awesome dates.
Anyways thats my bit. I am just processing the stomp on the ego that comes from getting broken up with and mourning the loss of what was pretty simple and fun.


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## Jenne

Hugs! Even when you know it's coming at some point it is neither fun nor easy. It sounds like you're doing better than okay.







I have always thought the best revenge is happiness. He, he, he.









Take care...
Jenne


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## akaisha

i know what you mean about still being friends but missing the sex







. old habits...









sounds like you're doing well though!


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## ladyinred

Sage. The end of any relationship is hard, even if it's not "the one" or even with one who you thought was "the one" and you're totally right about the ego bruise. I hope you're keeping happy and enjoying all the wonderful parts in your life.


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## terrordactyl

i'm sorry sage. being broken up with is never fun! but at least you were having some sex for awhile


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## kimiij

So sorry sage







.


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## jjm91785

Hello! I'm relatively new to the forum. My name is Jenny and I'm 23 years old, married to Marty who is 27. He's in the service and deploying later this year, we were going to start TTC ASAP but plan on waiting now until he's at least on mid-tour leave [vacation, mid-deployment] so probably about April or a little later of next year. I'm just saying April of 2010 for now to keep my spirits up. haha I was born and raised in Miami, FL first 21 years of my life - Cuban American. Currently work as a Remarketing Coordinator for a leasing company in Georgia and also as a Bookseller part time at Barnes and Noble. Hope to get to know you ladies better in the future!


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## oiseau

.


----------



## tippy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jjm91785* 
Hello! I'm relatively new to the forum. My name is Jenny and I'm 23 years old, married to Marty who is 27. He's in the service and deploying later this year, we were going to start TTC ASAP but plan on waiting now until he's at least on mid-tour leave [vacation, mid-deployment] so probably about April or a little later of next year. I'm just saying April of 2010 for now to keep my spirits up. haha I was born and raised in Miami, FL first 21 years of my life - Cuban American. Currently work as a Remarketing Coordinator for a leasing company in Georgia and also as a Bookseller part time at Barnes and Noble. Hope to get to know you ladies better in the future!









welcome jenny! i'm also from miami (born and raised)! but dh and i now live in AL. it's good to see another miamian on here!


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## Mama2Dane

Welcome to all the new ladies!







s Sage
Congrats to Oiseau's sheep!
Sorry I haven't been around too much. Anytime I start to post with some regularity, I get severely sidetracked by life...
Last time I posted, DP had just started at a tattoo shop. Well, the same day he started, I got fired from my factory job. The next day, he was fired from the same factory (which we thought was OK because he had the tattoo gig). A couple days later the shop told him that he "didn't fit in". So we were almost caught up on things financially, but now are ridiculously behind. We've both been jobless since the beginning of February and as sad as I should be that nothing is under control, I still feel fairly content. I just haven't really felt like connecting with anyone lately. So I apologize for jumping in and out of conversations.
We're talking to a lawyer about suing our former job. They did a background check on me and found 2 felonies that I don't have and fired me for them (supposedly they happened in New Mexico when I was 19. I've never even been to NM!). They fired DP the next day for "not meeting up to managerial expectations" (AKA, being my boyfriend). It was an awful job anyway, but it sucks to lose income. Good news is that with all the free time we've had, DP got a lot of work done on my tattoo.







Simple pleasures, I guess.

I like the 6-word bio that someone started a while back -- "Suddenly jobless, need to get moving" I guess that works for the day.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Jenne

Welcome Jenny...

How're things going Sage?

Andee- Sorry to hear about the job situation! My DH has been out of work since December so I understand the mixed blessing of having time but not money...

oiseau- Congrats on the sheep!





































In my world we are packing up for a driving tour of the west and southwest. Basically we are gonna go through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and then back home...we are going on the super cheap due to aforementioned unemployment so we'll be boondocking and eating food we're bringing from home. Oh, and the dog is coming too. That should be interesting. Our goal is to see as many of the National Parks on the trip as we can. I'm super excited but a little nervous that the job offer DH is expecting won't come through. The reason we are going now is that it is the only time I can get away from work and if DH gets this new job he won't have any vacation time for a year. We are both used to a great deal of flexibility with our jobs so we are thinking of this as a last hurrah before we settle into routine.

Our test was negative-ha! like there was just one!- and I got AF. I'm okay with it. We are actively trying to avoid this month as we don't really want a December baby. Not that we wouldn't love one if that is what happens we just are trying not to. Then I think...we will TTC beginning in April. Wow. Yeah. So, I guess I can be updated then...









Anyway...I have to get packed up!
Jenne


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## Zephyrine

Hello again,
I haven't been on for a while; I'm a 20 year old university student who is getting into NFL. Although, this semester has been rough.
I'm also single, which pushes back any babies a few more years.
I'm not baby-crazed all the time though, but occasionally it does happen.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## fjernsyn

Hey all,

I'm looking for some advice. I rarely post on the forums here, but I lurk almost daily, especially in the breastfeeding, birth and cloth diapering forums. I'm so glad I found the forum, because I was able to get some great information that has informed my future plans for children. I always knew I would breastfeed and cloth diaper, because that's what my mom did (I was BF until 4 and she owned a cloth diaper delivery service). But it's been great to get more information, and to introduce the ideas of out-of-hospital birth and extended breastfeeding to my serious boyfriend.

However, I've got a pretty severe case of baby lust that is making it difficult to concentrate on my normal life. See, I believe I'm with the father of my children. But we're not planning to get married for at least 3 years, and not planning on TTC for at least 5. So though I'm certainly on track, having a baby isn't something that I can dedicate a bunch of time to thinking about. In the best of time, it wastes time and in the worst, it makes me wish the next five years would just hurry up already. But there's so much I want to do before having kiddos!

Any advice for putting the baby lust on hold? What works for you? And if you have an idea for another forum I could put this in, where I could start a thread about it, that would be very appreciated. I'd love to get the advice of people who've BTDT and made it!

Thanks

Paige


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## MichelleinPA

Hi everyone. I'm quite new to the board, actually, if it wasn't for finding out that there were non-mom's here I may not have joined (at least not now).

I'm Michelle, my DH and I have been married for almost 10 years. Right now we're planning on TTC in 2010. I've spent the past year dealing with a heart condition that was finally fixed in January, so we want to spend some time with me getting myself back in shape physically before we consider whether or not to try and have children or adopt.


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## rhiOrion

Hi all. I've been looking at some of these MDC threads for those of us with no kids, and finally decided to join this one.

I joined MDC because a pregnant friend had been sending me links for months to various threads, and then she told me about the pet thread, and that seemed like a good reason to join.

But I thought I'd pop on in over here.

I'm 27, birthday is May 19. I live in the triangle of NC. Husband and I are hoping to TTC starting around August...but we know we may not be able to wait that long. I have some serious baby lust, seeing as how two of my best friends gave birth in February, and I've been getting lots of baby cuddles! But August is the "offical" TTC month.

Nice to meet you all!


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## CAndMe

: Welcome all.

I just wanted to say that Paige - I am in literally the same situation as you. No advice really, just commiseration.

Also, I may do a clean-up of the first post. There are some people on it who haven't been active in the year I've been here. So, if you're out there lurking and want to stay on the front page but haven't posted in forever, please let me know. Anyone not ok with that?


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
...
Also, I may do a clean-up of the first post. There are some people on it who haven't been active in the year I've been here. So, if you're out there lurking and want to stay on the front page but haven't posted in forever, please let me know. Anyone not ok with that?

Just wanted to mention I should be in "ttc currently"... (Have been in reality for a while now, just didn't bother to check the post listing)


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CAndMe* 
Also, I may do a clean-up of the first post. There are some people on it who haven't been active in the year I've been here. So, if you're out there lurking and want to stay on the front page but haven't posted in forever, please let me know. Anyone not ok with that?

That sounds fine with me.









Hey, has anyone heard of "treasure mapping"? The treasure map time starts on Thursday. There's a whole thread about it in spirituality here. DP and I are going to do one this year for the first time. We could totally use the inspiration.









Welcome to more newcomers! I hope you find a place for yourself here!


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
That sounds fine with me.









Hey, has anyone heard of "treasure mapping"? The treasure map time starts on Thursday. There's a whole thread about it in spirituality here. DP and I are going to do one this year for the first time. We could totally use the inspiration.









Welcome to more newcomers! I hope you find a place for yourself here!

Yes. I am going to do one as well. I've been following that thread- I have done some decluttering over the past few weeks to get started. I'm very excited to see how it all works out.


----------



## NCOwifey

Hi, I'm one of the relatively new people who posted a while back, and I'd like to stay active on this thread. There are so many posts I meant to reply to, to share my thoughts, but I've been so busy in the past couple of weeks ... dealing with layoff rumors at work, preparing to close on a house, and so much more. But I just wanted to say I'm really grateful to have found this thread and I hope we can all support each other at this sometimes difficult, sometimes wonderful time in our lives. I hadn't realized until recently how badly I would want a baby but need to wait, and how lonely that can feel.

The only advice I can share is to try to take things one day at a time - I know I go from full blown babylust to almost forgetting about it the next day when I get distracted by a project for work, friends, etc. I also just started charting, not to TTC but to learn about my cycles after being on the pill for almost 10 years. Not the same as actively trying, but getting to know when I'm fertile kind of helps me feel like I'm one step closer to baby.

That's it for now, just wanted to check in and keep in touch!

Melanie


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
Yes. I am going to do one as well. I've been following that thread- I have done some decluttering over the past few weeks to get started. I'm very excited to see how it all works out.

Awesome! I'm not the only one in here! Gary's been decluttering A LOT lately -- the shed, storage room, living space, etc... My mission is to get my bedroom done by Thursday. We'll see how that goes.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Barrister Neko* 
Hi, I'm one of the relatively new people who posted a while back, and I'd like to stay active on this thread. There are so many posts I meant to reply to, to share my thoughts, but I've been so busy in the past couple of weeks ... dealing with layoff rumors at work, preparing to close on a house, and so much more. But I just wanted to say I'm really grateful to have found this thread and I hope we can all support each other at this sometimes difficult, sometimes wonderful time in our lives. I hadn't realized until recently how badly I would want a baby but need to wait, and how lonely that can feel.

The only advice I can share is to try to take things one day at a time - I know I go from full blown babylust to almost forgetting about it the next day when I get distracted by a project for work, friends, etc. I also just started charting, not to TTC but to learn about my cycles after being on the pill for almost 10 years. Not the same as actively trying, but getting to know when I'm fertile kind of helps me feel like I'm one step closer to baby.

That's it for now, just wanted to check in and keep in touch!

Melanie

I'm unemployed right now, but the last two jobs I've had (both factory) were constantly filled with uneasy rumors about layoffs. I know how hard that can be. Try to stay optimistic.

I've been charting for 13 cycles now. I started charting right after I went off the pill. I honestly love it! There's a Charting to Avoid thread in the family planning section. You can find some great tips over there.


----------



## NCOwifey

Thanks Andee, I think everything will be ok. We're a small operation so it's easy for the rumors to fly. But my direct supervisor told me he's happy with my work, and hopefully the rumor was unjustified. I'm the newest associate at my firm so I'm trying extra hard to make myself indispensable! Ironically, I work at a labor & employment law firm representing management. It makes us all super conscious of what's going on in the business world!


----------



## Kyamo

Andee, Barrister, if you don't mind my asking, how did your cycles go right after coming off the pill? Did you start ovulating right away, were they irregular, etc? I'm planning to go off the pill and switch to CTA at the end of October.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kyamo* 
Andee, Barrister, if you don't mind my asking, how did your cycles go right after coming off the pill? Did you start ovulating right away, were they irregular, etc? I'm planning to go off the pill and switch to CTA at the end of October.

I started ovulating first cycle. Strangely, though, my first cycles after going off the pill had shorter luteal phases than I'm having now. Other than that, nothing was really odd about them. I'm really happy I went off the pill.


----------



## NCOwifey

Wow, same with me ... in my first cycle off the pill, I wasn't sure if I had EWCM or not but I had ... something, lol. Not to be TMI, but it wasn't as clear and stretchy as I expected. However, a few days later my temperature shifted, indicating ovulation. I also had a very short luteal phase - only 7 days if you count from the first day my temperature shifted, but I've read that it may be more accurate to start counting from the second day after your peak day, if it takes a few days after peak for your temp to shift. In that case it would actually be 11 days for me.

I am in the middle of my second cycle now and I had noticeable EWCM yesterday. I'm hoping my LP is longer this time, but I'm not too worried about it. I did a search online and found lots of other women asking about short luteal phases (less than 10 days) right off the pill. Apparently, although after some time the length of your LP should not vary by more than a day each cycle, some of us take a few cycles for our LPs to adjust to their normal state when coming off the pill.


----------



## Jenne

Welcome new nmyers....

Hello all from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado...trip is going well...

My cures for babylust- playing with my dog, having a Friday night out late and then sleeping in on Saturday morning, reading about parenting and birth, talking to friends with kiddos, volunteering to babysit...basically both indulging the babylust and reveling in NOT having a baby...








:
Jenne


----------



## ladyinred

new NMYers

I'm on my 12th month of CTA and I love it. I don't take my temp every morning now though, I normally start just after my period and stop about 4 days in to my LP because my cycles are pretty regular. I love knowing so much about what my body is doing. I'm looking forward to using this knowledge to TTC someday.

My current teching job is coming to an end in two more weeks. I really hope I get something else long term quickly. I can't imagine going back to teaching different classes every day and not knowing where I'm going again. It might be a hard transition. I'm finding that now that I'm so busy with having my own class I'm not as babylusty. So guess the big cure is being busy. I still want babies but I'm not as focused on it. I think being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, feeling that because I have this long term job that I'll get a full time job in the fall and then soon after I'll get a permenant position with mat leave, helps me to not be as crazy about wanting babies.

I'm curious about what this treasure mapping is now. I'm going to go look up the thread









Enjoying our Spring weather







:


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladyinred* 
...

My current teching job is coming to an end in two more weeks. I really hope I get something else long term quickly. I can't imagine going back to teaching different classes every day and not knowing where I'm going again. It might be a hard transition. I'm finding that now that I'm so busy with having my own class I'm not as babylusty. So guess the big cure is being busy. I still want babies but I'm not as focused on it. I think being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, feeling that because I have this long term job that I'll get a full time job in the fall and then soon after I'll get a permenant position with mat leave, helps me to not be as crazy about wanting babies.
...

Last year (kind of around this time, too) I'd been covering a high school health class for almost 2 months, and, yeah, I'd gotten used to going to the same place every day that I really didn't want to go back to something different every day. Of course, in my case, they didn't tell me until my last day that it was my last day (which I later realized was approximately 2 or 3 days before they'd have to start giving me benefits!







: ) and so I really did need some time off. I was also moving in under a month, and getting married later in the summer, and dh (then fiance) was happy to help so I could just focus on the move and the wedding.

Oh, and also, in addition to the high school health, there were the "childcare" and "family life" classes, so it really didn't help the baby lust one bit!

Oh well... This year I'm focusing on my master's (when not ttc...) and hopefully I'll have that, um, just in time to take a few years off...









(But really, even though I'm 31 and married, it sometimes feels like people I know IRL think we should be "waiting" before kids... um, why??? What is there, except the increased chance of infertility and other problems, that we'd get by waiting?... arg...)

Anyhow... Fact is, we're most definitely not waiting in any sense of the word now...


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zejh* 
(But really, even though I'm 31 and married, it sometimes feels like people I know IRL think we should be "waiting" before kids... um, why??? What is there, except the increased chance of infertility and other problems, that we'd get by waiting?... arg...)

I don't get that sense so much around here... I think mostly it's DP believing he's getting to be too old to start having children or something (he's only 30, which I think is a fine age to have children.) Congrats on "not waiting" anymore!









Treasure mapping starts tomorrow... I really can't wait to see how it turns out! Also tomorrow I'm driving an hour south to interview for a dealer job in a casino up here. I don't know if it's a perfect match for me, but it sounds like so much fun! Hopefully I get it!


----------



## Sage.Naissance

CRAZY dream. Get this:
I dreamt that I was in a highschool swimming pool, there were dorms in this highschool and everything and for whatever reason I was staying there. Anyways I was pregnant so we did a c-section in the pool to cut out my 37 week baby to baste it (thats right, baste it with a turkey baster to fatten it up), but it was the kind of c section midwives do-not doctors- totally safe(WTF?) and then we were going to put it back in and I would give birth to it. I was marvelling at her gloriously fat little body and thinking, maybe I basted her too much and now she will be like ten pounds and just too big to give birth too (again WTF?) and couldnt I just keep her like this?, but I knew I wanted to have a vaginal birth so I had to put her back in. Then all of a sudden an alarm went of and fire trucks started coming in and I had to run out. I had the baby and she was wet and naked and it was snowing outside. I tucked her against my chest and was screaming for someone to get me a blanket, I ran through the halls packed with panicked people I found my locker but was too panicked to open the lock and made someone do it for me, got a blanket, covered the baby and ran outside, while the firefighters brought out a dead body. The feeling of this squiggling little wet vernix, mucous and blood covered baby up against my belly was SOOOO intensely real, like the most wonderful feeling ever, and the protective love I felt for the fat little girl with dark hair was really intense. I woke up and I was like WOAH, I was a mother in that dream. I'd never really felt that before.
Anyways, it was totally wild and I thought I would share that with you... so visceral, I can practically still feel the squirming wet little feet on my belly.


----------



## akaisha

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I started ovulating first cycle...I'm really happy I went off the pill.










ditto to both of those.

*CAndME*: sounds good! i'm also 23 now, if you feel like updating that.


----------



## Jenne

Don't have but a minute--we got back at 3am and the trip was good despite getting stuck in the "epic storm". What a silly name for a blizzard.

DP got the job (we think!) as they have asked him to come in for a drug screen.









It took me more than a year to get a period after going off the pill but I have PCOS so don't hang too much on that...

I love/hate those intense baby dreams. Love them because they feel so maternal in the moment, hate them because they are like adding fuel to the baby fire...

Anyway...happy Sunday!

Jenne


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
...I love/hate those intense baby dreams. Love them because they feel so maternal in the moment, hate them because they are like adding fuel to the baby fire...

Anyway...happy Sunday!

Jenne









:


----------



## Mama2Dane

So, I guess you can add me to the pregnant list.








We weren't _exactly_ TTC, but we weren't really avoiding either.







I got my BFP this morning, 13 dpo. Baby will be "due" December 14, a day before DP's and my 6th dating anniversary!


----------



## jaclyn7

Hello All.

Long time no see, I've been quite tired lately with my pregancy







: Could you add me to the list with a November 16 due date?

I hope to back in the swing of things soon.


----------



## terrordactyl

Congrats to all the pregnant NMY who are now mamas


----------



## ladyinred

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
So, I guess you can add me to the pregnant list.








We weren't _exactly_ TTC, but we weren't really avoiding either.







I got my BFP this morning, 13 dpo. Baby will be "due" December 14, a day before DP's and my 6th dating anniversary!

Congratulations Andee! That sounds like a lovely day to be due







I hope all goes well.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jaclyn7* 
Hello All.

Long time no see, I've been quite tired lately with my pregancy







: Could you add me to the list with a November 16 due date?

I hope to back in the swing of things soon.

Congratulations Jaclyn as well! Wow, it's so wonderful that you two are going to be moms







:


----------



## Jenne

Congratulations!







:

Jenne


----------



## akaisha

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
So, I guess you can add me to the pregnant list.








We weren't _exactly_ TTC, but we weren't really avoiding either.







I got my BFP this morning, 13 dpo. Baby will be "due" December 14, a day before DP's and my 6th dating anniversary!

omg! congrats!!!!







:


----------



## Mama2Dane

Thanx, ladies! I'm really excited! It doesn't quite feel real yet... I called the midwife yesterday and set up my first appointment for May 5. She said we should be able to hear the heartbeat when we go in!







:

Where is everyone in here? I would offer up a new discussion topic, but I'm not so great at that... So come back! Update us on life!









And could someone start a new Spring thread? I would do it, but I can't rely on myself to update for everyone. I've been a little distracted lately.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## ladyinred

I'm still here








I've been a bit busy lately. I finally got my own classroom for six weeks and it was very very busy, but fun







Now I'm back to day by day substituting. Being that busy helped to keep the baby lust down.

I'm going to be an aunt in just 5 months







: I'm really excited. I'm going to go visit my family and friends this weekend so I'll get to see my brother and sister-in-law and visit with my future neice/nephew baby-belly. I have a friend who's due in about a month, another who I just found out is pregnant and another who's due late July. So many babies!!!!!!! None for me yet, but having a light at the end of the tunnel is helping.

On another note, we have less snow left. Around our house it's melted leaving just a big pile in the middle of the yard. My gardens are mostly uncovered and I have tulips pushing up and a few other plants starting to grow! I'm a bit worried because we do still have some freezing temperatures at night but I hope they'll survive. This is much earlier than we had tulips last year


----------



## Jenne

Let's see...

We got back from our whirlwind US West expedition and got plugged back into reality. The trip was awesome though. Gorgeous scenery, the dog was along, DH is wonderful, *AND* we had books on tape!









When we got back we finally got an answer from the home builders mortgage company that they were not going to finance our loan. While at first I was royally pissed off (DH and I both have great credit and I make more then enough money for the particular home we wanted to buy) it worked out in the end in that we got to keep the extra discount for using their lender but got to get a better/different lender that was much easier to work with...however...when we put the money down for the house they were looking at late April/early May promise dates (having house built) since the lending screw up with their lender though they didn't start so now we are looking at SEPTEMBER. I know that is just like a 3 month difference but the place we are living is my DH's bachelor apartment and there is literally stuff EVERYWHERE. I work from home and the place is tiny so I can't even get a break by going into a different room--unless that room is the UBER nasty bathroom. But once the house is done it will be great. I just need to keep focusing on the positive.

In TTC news I've strated on the apple cider vinegar, coconut oil regimen. We'll see if it helps to make me warmer and lose weight. I'm doing a two week trial...I also saw a homeopath on Monday so that I can start with some remedy. I'm really wanting to start TTC next cycle so we'll see...

In other news DH got a JOB! We expected that he would but getting the welcome letter was







He went for his psych exam yesterday morning. He has a physical next Friday and then starts the 21st. We have spent just about every day together since like December 5th so it will be an adjustment but we've had a great time together these past months. It's time. We will have full coverage health insurance (which is why we can TTC) which is fantastic. Right now my policy has maternity exclusions and when I took out the policy I didn't think I'd need maternity coverage since I will HB. That was years ago and I have since realized that an emergency requiring intervention would bankrupt us. So...it is good to have it just in case...

oiseau--That's exciting about the lab interview! Vet school! Wow! That's awesome!

ladyinred--Have a great visit!

Happy Easter and Happy Passover and Happy Beltaine and Happy Spring...sorry, the only Muslim holidays I know are Eid and Ramadan and I don't think either of those are in the spring...

Jenne


----------



## akaisha

i'm here! just getting read to head back to canada on the 20th after 3/4 of a year in england! i'll be home in ontario for about 2 weeks then it's off to BC and then maui! very exciting.


----------



## tippy

hey everyone!

well the past few months have been so busy with work and school. my class is over for this semester, so i'm finally getting some free time to update. i have 1 more class this summer before i am DONE with my masters - woot, woot! i'm losing all of my motivation quickly so i'm glad i'm almost done.

dh and i have been talking more about ttc recently. we are thinking we may postpose it until later this yr, or early next yr. i convinced dh that we should take a trip to europe for xmas/new years, and it would be really hard to be in the last trimester and flying (if that is even doable). i really don't want to wait until after we come back on the trip, but i also don't want to be going through morning sickness, etc while in europe. *anyone have any suggestions about when we should start? or should we just wait until the trip or when we come back?* i'm really torn.


----------



## knittinanny

I've been away from this thread for a while. It sounds like everyone's been really busy. Congrats to all the new mamas-to-be!

Things have been fairly tumultuous with work recently- my charity lost the funding for my post, but I ended up being offered a different job within the same organisation. It's technically a 'step up' although now I'm only working 3 days a week. I'm a little stressed about finding work for the other 2 days. Ideally I'd like to set up an etsy shop and do cycle training, but I'm not sure that most people *actually* make money on etsy (like, more than the occasional $25).

We were all set to start the TTC process at the beginning of March. We started being uber-healthy, doing fertility yoga, changed our diets, etc etc. We had tons of tests done at the fertility clinic (including the famous dildo-cam where they do internal sonograms and you get to look at your ovaries...totally rad!) and everything's in working order. It seemed so close, and then they decided we couldn't both donate eggs, thus raising the cost of our treatment by nearly £3000. I felt really crushed for about a week, and like all my preparations were/are futile.







That's a lot of money for one try, and a lot to come up with on the spot.

We've done a lot of praying/meditating, treasure mapping, and creative planning on how to raise some extra money. And then this morning, my dear sweet fantastic in-laws emailed us and said they have an 'extra' $2500 that we can have to put towards fertility treatments!







: We still have quite a bit more to come up with, but it's feeling attainable now.

Sorry for the long update! I'll try to be more active on the thread so I don't have to spill out so much info at once...


----------



## kimiij

I've been around...the main development for me is that I got accepted to midwifery school. I'm preparing for that to start in the fall. Working is painful only because with each day I get closer and closer to quitting







. They have no idea. I feel kind of bad because I only just started working there in early March and I'll be leaving at the end of July. I was trying to find a temp job but no one was hiring so I figured that I had to suck it up so that I could pay my bills.

It's amazing to see everyone growing and moving towards TTC







:


----------



## NCOwifey

Hi everyone - Don't remember when I last posted, but I'm seeing all these updates on here and I just want to make my presence known I guess, heh.









I'm charting - in my third cycle off the pill - and I love it. TTC date is up in the air, but once we get settled into our new home, hopefully by mid-May, we'll have that talk again and see if we can start right away ... or if it makes more sense financially, etc. to wait a few months. Hopefully not more than a few months! For now, I'm learning a lot from the experiences of my mommy and daddy friends.

I'm in a great mood because my office is closed for Good Friday ... although I need to work over the weekend anyway.









It's great to be here!


----------



## jimblejamble

'Ello, just checking in.

Chris left today (my birthday! Worst birthday ever!). He's in Indiana until June, will come home for a few days at the end of the month, then leave at the beginning of July for Afghanistan and will be there until April 2010; he might get to come home for a couple weeks when the baby is born. I want to go to bed tonight and not wake up until next year.









The baby is doing well and treating me nicely. I'm not having cravings for junk food as often anymore and I'm not having any sickness now that I'm taking my vitamins before bed.







: My belly is getting big. Pre-pregnancy, my waist was 29" and now it's abut 35"! Yikes! Bigger boobs and hips are never a bad thing, though.









Um...that's about it for now!


----------



## NCOwifey

JessicaRenee, happy birthday, and I hope the deployment flies by.







My DH is Air National Guard.


----------



## rhiOrion

Howdy,

I've only posted on this thread once before, but I've been reading for a couple of weeks.

I have a question for those of you who have been on a BCP and are now off of them. Did you have any side effects from coming off? You hear so much about the side effects of being on the pill, but I'm not sure what to expect when I get off! I start my last pack of Ortho Cyclen on Sunday! EEEEK!

Also, for those of you who got off the pill a few months before you were really ready to TTC, what did you do for BC? I know I'd be horrible at charting, especially since it would actually make me very happy to get pregnant. I'm leaning towards a diaphram. Any experiences there?

Also, whomever updates this stuff, can you add me as TTC in August (Though who knows, it might be earlier
















Thanks!


----------



## NCOwifey

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rhiyaya* 
I have a question for those of you who have been on a BCP and are now off of them. Did you have any side effects from coming off? You hear so much about the side effects of being on the pill, but I'm not sure what to expect when I get off! I start my last pack of Ortho Cyclen on Sunday! EEEEK!

Also, for those of you who got off the pill a few months before you were really ready to TTC, what did you do for BC?

I am just starting my third cycle off the pill and I love not having the hormones in my body anymore. But to be honest, I can't tell the difference between being on the pill and being off. After 10 years I was hoping for an amazing transformation - that my mood would be balanced, that I'd feel great all the time and have more energy, that I would lose weight. Well, nothing amazing seems to have happened, but at the same time, nothing has happened, period, so that's also good. I hear that most women go back to the way they were before they went on the pill. I have heard stories about women feeling like the pill actually helped tame their crazy mood swings, then going off and having the mood swings return.

As for BC, we are using condoms even though I'm charting because DH is just not comfortable with it yet. Charting is a highly effective form of BC ... as long as you do it properly. It's a lot more work than just popping a pill!

I hear you on the whole "hope to be pregnant anyway so not taking it that seriously" thing!


----------



## knittinanny

JessicaRenee: it's good to hear that things are going well with the baby! I can't imagine how hard it must be with your DH gone. Here I was, moping cause DP won't be home for another 9 hours...







. Do you have a good support network where you live?

kimiij: Midwifery school sounds exciting! Congrats!

Neko: Good luck with the house!

Anyone have any fun plans for the long weekend?


----------



## NCOwifey

We're leaving shortly to see Disney on Ice with DH's goddaughter, and her 4 siblings and parents! I am not a Disney fan but this was our Christmas gift to the kids and we can't wait to see their faces light up. She is 6 and the oldest of the bunch, and mom is pg again as well. They are driving a couple hours over from where they live, and we are driving about 45 mins. north to the place and we will meet up there.

The rest of the weekend I am working from home. Doing an Easter on Sunday with my parents, but it's not a huge holiday in my family so it will just be a quick lunch.


----------



## mugglemin

Hi! I have been lurking on this board for a long time.

I wanted to be added to this Not Mamas tribe.
I am Dominica and I am 31. I am living in Tulsa, OK.

I haven't met that special someone yet and I also am living with a mental illness - schizophrenia...it is controlled with medication for the most part. Things are way way better for me then when I was first diagnosed in 2004.

I would really really like to be a wife and mother someday. I am a christian and I pray about it all the time. Anyway just wanted to say hi!!!


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mugglemin* 
Hi! I have been lurking on this board for a long time.

I wanted to be added to this Not Mamas tribe.
I am Dominica and I am 31. I am living in Tulsa, OK.

I haven't met that special someone yet and I also am living with a mental illness - schizophrenia...it is controlled with medication for the most part. Things are way way better for me then when I was first diagnosed in 2004.

I would really really like to be a wife and mother someday. I am a christian and I pray about it all the time. Anyway just wanted to say hi!!!

Welcome to the NMY Tribe and







to MDC!


----------



## ladyinred

Wow, sounds like everyone's been really busy! I just got back from a very long weekend visiting my family and friends back home. One of my friends is getting married in October so we had his bachelor party on Sunday. Actually, he's becoming a home-owner, a father (in July) a husband and a step father by October so we were really celebrating him making all kinds of steps







It was a really great night out. We went to a restaurant for supper, got him a "groom" baseball hat to wear, then went back to our friends' apartment to watch a slideshow of pictures I'd found of him and talk about old times until 3am. It was great.

I got back yesterday and was very pleased to find that most of our snow is gone! I can see all my gardens and there's just a few piles of left over snow. I can't wait to start gardening again.







:

What does everyone else most look forward to about spring?


----------



## Kyamo

Spring? Well already I have got my bike out for the year and doing more walking and biking home from work, saving the bus fare (during the winter I was walking there and bussing back since it was dark when I got out). The heat is coming on less so the electric bill will decrease. But I can't wait until its warm enough to go around naked in the house LOL! I don't like having to wear so many clothes. Looking forward to planting the garden too. The snows all gone, but its still below freezing at night.

I'm wondering if I might have PCOS. I guess I can't tell until I get off the pill and start charting (planning this for the end of Oct - going in next week for my last BCP prescription). I don't know if I'm in for fertility problems.









ETA: Anyone else having trouble with the subscription? I'm subscribed to this thread, but it keeps not showing up in the list of subscribed threads with new posts, even when it does have new posts.


----------



## jimblejamble

I got to hear the heartbeat today and was told I have a "very energetic" baby!







:


----------



## rhiOrion

Mmmm, spring. It's definitely spring here in NC, though we have had a couple of cold snaps. I can't wait to be able to wear tanktops, shorts, and flipflops. I can't wait to get a screen door for my back door, so that we can leave the door open in the warm weather without getting too many bugs inside. I can't wait to go camping for the first time this year (this weekend!).

I love love love spring. Mostly because winter makes me so sad.

And, in keeping with the thread... it means one season closer to TTC.


----------



## Mama2Dane

It's awesome to read about what everyone's been up to! I'm glad spring is finally here, too. The winter was Really brutal for us this year.
My first appointment with the midwife is May 5th. The day before that I start 12 weeks of dealer training for a casino that will be opening up in August. I don't know if I will continue working there after the baby is born, but it just sounds like a fun job right now.







Plus the money is good...








*Jessica*, I'm so excited for you! How many weeks are you now? I'll be 6 weeks tomorrow.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kyamo* 
ETA: Anyone else having trouble with the subscription? I'm subscribed to this thread, but it keeps not showing up in the list of subscribed threads with new posts, even when it does have new posts.

I haven't noticed any issues with mine. Is it maybe your settings?


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## jimblejamble

Andee, I just reached the 18 week mark!


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I haven't noticed any issues with mine. Is it maybe your settings?

How do I look at or change subscription settings?


----------



## Jenne

It's been an interesting week or so...

Jenne


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kyamo* 
How do I look at or change subscription settings?

OK, I just went back and looked and the only setting you can play with is whether or not you instantly subscribe to threads and whether or not you get e-mail notifications.







If you want to get to that, it's in the user CP under edit options. Other than that, I don't know. It looks like a question for the mods. Sorry!


----------



## Mama2Dane

Congrats, *oiseau*! Hopefully ttc isn't _too_ far off for you!









*Jenne*, good interesting?


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Just a piece for you just-off-birthcontrolers, if you are hoping to conceive (or even if you arent and would opt to keep a child who you conceived right after b/c you need to be taking b vits and especially folic acid. B/C depletes these vitamins, which as you all know are integral to neural tube development in the fetus. Its my strongest encouragement and fairly little known information.
If you want to help along the hormonal healing process I will again recommend my favourite hormonal herb, vitex agnus castus or chaste tree. Take it for three months and you should be set for conception.
I envy those who are at that point!


----------



## Jenne

Just interesting, although bordering on bad interesting truth be told.

On Wednesday dp and I went to the capitol of our state for the tax day protests. It was cool although the reporting of the event by the media was way uncool.

As we were getting ready to leave, dp helped me off of one of the ledges I had been standing on (max 2 1/2 feet tall probably) and I was brought to a sitting position (would have been to my knees but the ledge was there) by a sharp, intense pain in the left side of my abdomin. By the time we walked the 6 blocks back to the car I was on the phone with my doctor for an appointment. The doc could see me in 30 minutes so we were headed there. We had been in the car for about a mile when I began crying due to the pain (I was also doing pain management stuff like low humming and self talk. The low humming really help!) and told dp that I just needed to go to the ER. I spent the next 5 hours in the ER getting poked, giving samples (I made a HUGE, I mean SPECTACULARLY huge mess in the bathroom with my sample which leaked ALL over the place...I sheepishly had to tell the nurse.) and getting a CT scan. My white blood count was extraordinarily high. Nothing else was wrong other than I was intense pain. I was given an anti-nausea medicine and a painkiller and sent home.

Woke up Thursday AM and everything was back to normal. No fever, no pain.







:

My coconut oil and vinegar experiment yielded better sleep and I think warmer body temps but I haven't lost any weight. My easter skirt fit though so I don't know. I have to stop though.

My homeopath got back to me with my remedy which I ordered this week. Unfortunately, or serendipitously since I felt better on it, vinegar is the antidote for it so I am going to go with the homeopathic treatment and avoid the vinegar. Hopefully I'll get better.

DH and I had talks about TTC. I guess we are now officially TTC. We have a plan. In June I'll see the acupuncturist to hopefully get things going. If that doesn't work then in July we'll see the RE. I'm actually going to start acupuncture in May so that in June we can try.














:

I'm way nervous though. I mean, I'm ready, I'm not sure my body is though.

Anyway...so it has been an interesting week.









Jenne


----------



## rhiOrion

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Just a piece for you just-off-birthcontrolers, if you are hoping to conceive (or even if you arent and would opt to keep a child who you conceived right after b/c you need to be taking b vits and especially folic acid. B/C depletes these vitamins, which as you all know are integral to neural tube development in the fetus. Its my strongest encouragement and fairly little known information.
If you want to help along the hormonal healing process I will again recommend my favourite hormonal herb, vitex agnus castus or chaste tree. Take it for three months and you should be set for conception.
I envy those who are at that point!

Sage,

Are you talking above and beyond the amount that's in a typical prenatal? Or would taking a prenatal or even other multi vitamin cover it?


----------



## rhiOrion

One of the big caveats we had in place regarding TTC was that I had to actually be offered a permanent position at my job. I've been working as a temp for the past three months. But we needed to know that I had a little more job stability, plus that I'd be able to qualify for FMLA.

I got the job offer this week!

Wooo!

And I'll have good insurance


----------



## Jenne

Rhiyaya congrats on the job offer!







:

DP started his new job yesterday and his benefits are awesome...acupuncture is covered! I was surprised but very pleased by that.

Waiting patiently for my remedy to arrive in the mail...

Waiting patiently for AF to arrive in the mail...huh?









Jenne


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Quote:

Sage,

Are you talking above and beyond the amount that's in a typical prenatal? Or would taking a prenatal or even other multi vitamin cover it?
I reccommend a typical prenatal. With prenatals I also recommend finding out which ones are best. Some dont disolve and you end up just peeing and pooping them out. I recommend a simple vinegar test to see if they are effective. Take the vit and put it in an ounce of white vinegar and see it if is disolved (or at least loose from its capsule and broken apart) overnight.

Happy adventures friends.


----------



## Jenne

Oooh! Science experiments are FUN!







Thanks Sage!

Jenne


----------



## knittygritty

Hi, ladies! I hope this is the right Tribe for me...







I'm not a mama yet, but someday, I hope! I'm a 20 year old college student studying Fibers with a healthy interest in natural living and alternative parenting. I love MDC!


----------



## rhiOrion

So for those of you who are planning to TTC in the relatively near future, are you altering your day-to-day life in any way? Eating better, more exercise, etc? Or are you going to wait until you're actively TTC?

I keep feeling like I should be doing these things, but at the same time it doesn't feel real yet.

Here are the things I *want* to do:

1. Start eating fewer processed foods
2. Pay attention to the amount of sodium in the processed foods I do eat
3. Exercise more
4. Lose some of the extra weight around my tummy (I'm a slim person, but tend to gain weight in my stomach first)
5. Cut back on alcohol consumption (would probably help with number 4, too!)
6. Cut back on aspartame consumtion (acheiving number 1 would help with that)

I also want to schedule a preconception appointment at the same time as my yearly pap, and discuss different prenatal vitamin options (I suck at swallowing large pills), as well as which of my meds I can and can't take while pregnant.

I just don't know how to get motivated on the diet and exercise aspects. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook, and recently have been really into desserts, but they're certainly not helping me any.

Just curious how the rest of you are approaching all of this.

On an unrelated note, it's supposed to be in the 90s in NC this weekend. Evidentally April got confused and thinks it's June.


----------



## knittygritty

Rhiyaya, those are quite the goals! Cutting out processed foods, alcohol, and aspertame would make anybody feel healthier and happier, IMO. As far as losing weight, though, especially since you describe yourself as a slim person, I would definitely consult a doctor or registered dietitian before attempting. They could probably give you some pointers for achieving your other goals and making healthy desserts, too!

It's 90 here in Georgia this weekend, too, but it certainly feels hotter than that in the shade. But I guess that's not so unusual for Savannah in late April!


----------



## rhiOrion

Yeah, I hate using the term "losing weight," because it's not quite accurate. My weight itself could really stay about the same (125 at 5 foot 5... so pretty much exactly in the recommended range), just need to lose the extra fat around my stomach. So doing that would be more about the exercise and cutting back on alcohol (beer=beer belly!) than it would be about a real "diet" as we think of them. Though cutting back on the slow weight gain that has been creeping up on me for the past few years certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings (gained about 25 pounds in 5 years... which was great, but don't necessarily need it to continue!)

But those goals I listed are just goals. I'm not doing so well on them! I just ate a chocolate Krispy Kreme donut hole!


----------



## Sage.Naissance

I would say focusing on the processed foods should take precedence on that list. Processed foods are very bad news and shoud, ideally, be eliminated.

I am not trying to conceive but if I theoretically were hoping to I would be supplimenting better.
I would be taking small amounts of suppliments of some kind. I am not super big on regular dietary supplements but I would probably do something like floradix every other day, mostly just focusing on stuff with folic acid. In reality I would get a full blood count because I think I am pretty nutritionally sound but I could probably use help in some areas.
I would be switching over to organic, especially in my meats. I consume organic eggs and dairy and some veggies as it is but I cant afford organic meat so I eat really crappy meat products.
I would do a liver clense. I drink a lot of alcohol in my life right now and I want a really healthy liver going into pregnancy, so I would probably take care of that.
I would start a regular yoga regimen and connect with my physical body experience more.
I might try to make sure my hormones are at good levels and do a 3 month regimen of vitex.
Thats probably it....
haha thats obviously the midwife Stephanie talking. Its going to be such a trip to be pregnant as a midwife.

Rhiyaya, have you ever considered floradix? Its a liquid herb based suppliment that is really easy to metabolize and you wouldnt have to worry about taking big pills.


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sage.Naissance* 
Rhiyaya, have you ever considered floradix? Its a liquid herb based suppliment that is really easy to metabolize and you wouldnt have to worry about taking big pills.

Can you take it while pregnant? The big pills really suck.


----------



## rhiOrion

I've never heard of it? Is it a multi? I'll do some research.


----------



## Jenne

So this swine flu thing is pretty nutty. Where's the piggy smilie when I need it?!

I did the "does your pill dissolve in vinegar test" and it does! They are the Kroger brand prenatals fyi. They still make my tummy quesy though so how bad of me would it be to not take them until I have a








? I eat a balanced mostly organic diet...

I'm calling the acupuncturist tomorrow to make my first appointment. Oh, and AF finally showed which means this is our first TTC cycle...exciting? Eh. I'm not as enthusiastic (if you get my drift) as I thought I'd be but I'm also on Day 2 so...

Right now I have a batch of no knead bread rising/doing it's 18 hour thing, I'm soaking oatmeal for DH's breakfast, seperating cream and whey from a gallon of raw milk I bought yesterday, and fermenting some raw milk kefir. I'm feeling very domestic to say the least...now if only the laundry would put itself away I'd be over the moon.

OH! We found out today our new house will be ready end of July/early August! I'm thrilled. OH! And our house sold. Well, we don't close until May 26th so it's not gone yet but! close!

Hope y'all are having a smashing evening (or whatever time it is where you are) with a brilliant start to the week ahead...

Jenne


----------



## jimblejamble

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
I did the "does your pill dissolve in vinegar test" and it does! They are the Kroger brand prenatals fyi. They still make my tummy quesy though so how bad of me would it be to not take them until I have a







? I eat a balanced mostly organic diet...

Those are what I take and my first couple months were totally miserable. I take them right before bed and haven't had any nausea in over a month.


----------



## Kyamo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rhiyaya* 
So for those of you who are planning to TTC in the relatively near future, are you altering your day-to-day life in any way? Eating better, more exercise, etc? Or are you going to wait until you're actively TTC?


I think my diet/exercise is pretty good already and don't plan to make any big changes now or when TTC/pregnant. The only problem is that I know I have low iron despite being on iron pills on and off for several years.


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## Jenne

Should we start a spring/summer thread?







It is May...







:







:

Jenne


----------



## Jenne

Welcome to the Not Mamas... Yet Tribe, Part XVIII (Spring/Summer 2009)
















(Thanks Rico'sAlice for the text and CAandMe for the previous thread sheparding!)

Iaorana! As-salaamu `alaykum! Merhaba! Γεια σου! Ãyubõván! Jambo! Hola! Boa tarde! Ciao! Guten Tag! Bonjour! Magandang Hapon Po! Selamat petang! Konnichiwa!

Hello! Returning members, glad you made it over, hope the trip wasn't too hard. Just put your feet up and relax for a while. We've got organic lemonade, coffee (regular and Swiss-water-process decaf), pastured raw milk, kombucha, kefir, whatever you're into. (No EBM available here- Sorry. Check out the Love Thread for that.)

Newbies! We are sooo excited you're here. We hope you stay a while and never leave... unless it is because you become a mama.

Anyway, this thread was originally started to give those of us who are not yet parents a forum here at MDC to discuss the unique concerns of those who are into NFL, and excited about AP but don't have any munchkins to apply these concepts to...yet. (Although some of us have furbabies, young family members, students, etc. that we are involved with.)

As I mentioned, a few of us have gotten pregnant while here, others are TTC now, some in the next few years, some of us aren't even close. We've also had the occasional visitor that is a "Not Mama...EVER" ie, male nannies and such. We're happy to have all y'all!

So here we are. And here you are. Let the party begin!

NMY Offshoot Threads

NMY Graduates Love Thread
NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part Two
NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part Three
NMY Fitness Thread

Official NMY Status Roster
Getting to know you...getting to know all about you...

Post in the thread if you want your information added, updated, or changed. If it seems as if I didn't see it, send me a PM. Thanks!

Graduates

Katt, age 30 mama to Teotimo since 12/27/06
~Shanna~ mama to Fenton Edward since 3/26/07
Holiztic mama to Quinn since 4/13/07
BeccaBear, age 28 -mama to Alexander Lewis since 5/6/07
Rico'sAlice, age 27 - mama to Johannes Edward since 5/20/07
turtle81 , age 25 - mama to Phillip since 6/02/07
farmama, age 29 - mama to Natalina since 7/17/07
Maela, age 26 - mama to Maev since 7/17/07
jodib, age 29 - mama to Rosalie Jayne since 7/23/07
PiePie, age 36 - mama to since 8/16/07
arelyn, age 25 - mama to Micaiah since 8/16/07
hazieluna, age 35 - mama to Aidan Sebastian since 9/15/07
ATD_Mom, age 32 - mama to Alasdair since 9/16/07
Sihaya, age 24 - mama to Calvin since 12/22/07
GathererGirl, age 27

Pregnant

Andee
Alcyone, age 29
blizzard_babe
cking
snozzberry, age 29
witchygrrl, age 29
zoebird, age 31
babysnyder'smommy, age 25
MujerMamaMismo, age 29
Safigee, age 28
JessicaRenee
Texmati
Zehj, age 31

TTC Currently

binkin
DvlDg, age 24
MrsMiller, age 22
oneKnight, age 21
barose
CalaRei
CourtBChase
Kriket, age 24
MBFoley, age 32
GuavaGirl, age 25
Mama Khi, age 30
Patronia, planning on August 2008
sphinxie, age 29, planning on Spring 2008
stretch358, age 31, planning on Summer 2008
LibertyBelle, planning on Mid-October 2008
willowbean
MamaDK
APBTlover
Angi
Jenne, age 32

TTC 2009

AsYouWish
doulaLeah
crunchysamma
Hellga
MEcatlady17 -25
Monarchgrrl - 30
Knittinanny - 27
jaclyn7 - 24
Tippy
Bazile - 22
Oztok5, around...Aug, Sep, Oct
Rhiyaya

TTC 2010 and beyond

Charliemae, age 20
Just_Isabel, age 22
Kyamo, age 23
Lambsauce, age 18
Rico'sAlice, age 27 (TTC #2)
Shaina, age 20
Sk8ermaiden, age 23
CAndMe, age 19
Kimiij, age 24
ashcav
akaisha, age 22
Oiseau
Freud, age 25
Hesperia, age 21
JlyGrnMigt, age 29
Brown Lioness, age 29

Not Sure Yet

anonyma, age 33
asoulunbound, age 20
joiedevivre184, age 20
ladyinred, age 27
MsHelena, age 22
TwilightJoy, age 21
justbecca, age 21
MonkeyScience
Sage.Naissance
Andee, age 23
Neuromancer
helen_emily, age 22
Zephyrine, age 19
Knitty Gritty, age 20

Planning to Adopt

w8ing4myDD, age 38, adopting from China in 2009/10
crunchysamma
justbecca
MamaDK

Birthdays

January
MamaDK...6th
Tippy...15th

February
Monkeyscience...5th
Akaisha...6th, 1986
snozzberry&#8230;Kelly&#8230;9th, 1978
Kyamo&#8230;10th
Sihaya&#8230;Steph&#8230;12th, 1983
Neuromancer...19th, 1977

March
Frog...2nd
justbecca...5th
stretch358&#8230;5th
Alcyone&#8230;Lorry&#8230;7th, 1978
CAndMe...8th
AsYouWish...13th, 1977

April
MujerMamaMismo&#8230;4th, 1979
Lambsauce&#8230;Allie&#8230;7th, 1989
Rico'sAlice&#8230;Alice&#8230;9th, 1980
JessicaRenee...10th, 1988
~Shanna~&#8230;14th
oneKnight&#8230;14th
anonyma&#8230;21st, 1974
willowbean....26th, 1979
CalaRei....27th
APBTlover

May
Binkin&#8230;4th
Rhiyaya...19th
witchygrrl&#8230;12th
ashcav...22nd, 1987
blizzard_babe&#8230;Sara&#8230;24th, 1979
Patronia...29th

June
Sk8ermaiden...20, 1984
Jenne&#8230;24th
PiePie&#8230;27th
helen_emily

July
Angi...2nd, 1970
arelyn&#8230;4th, 1982
ladyinred&#8230; 4th, 1981
Kriket...5th, 1984
CourtBChase...11th
doulaLeah...14th, 1982
GatherGirl... 15th, 1982
Jaclyn...July 23, 1984

August
cking&#8230;Christina&#8230;4th
Oiseau...5th
Andee...9th, 1985
Charliemae&#8230;Charlene&#8230;14th, 1987
Sage.Naissance...28th
MEcatlady17
joiedevivre184...26th

September
Kimiij...1st...1984
DvlDg...5th
babysnyder'smommy...6th
Bazile...7th, 1985
Hellga...16th, 1984
Mama Khi&#8230;25, 1977
Knitty Gritty...September 6

October
JlyGrnMigt...8th...1979
BeccaBear&#8230;Rebecca&#8230;10th, 1979
MrsMiller&#8230;Barbara&#8230;12th, 1984
Hesperia...12th
Brown Lioness...16tn,1979

November
zejh...18th
Monarchgrrl...20th, 1977

December
barose...1st
Shaina&#8230;5th, 1988
semisnotapirate&#8230;Sara&#8230;24th, 1984
Knittinanny...12th

Hey baby&#8230;what's your sign?

Capricorn
farmama
MamaDK
Tippy

Aquarius
Just_Isabel
Katt
Sihaya
snozzberry
monkeyscience
Akaisha

Pisces
Alcyone
AsYouWish
Holiztic
MsHelena
stretch358
justbecca
CAndMe
Frog
Neuromancer

Aries
MujerMamaMismo
oneKnight
Rico'sAlice
~Shanna~
JessicaRenee

Taurus
anonyma
binkin
wateraddict
witchygrrl
CalaRei
willowbean
Rhiyaya

Gemini
blizzard_babe
Maela
w8ing4myDD
Sk8ermaiden
Patronia
ashcav
helen_emily

Cancer
Jenne
PiePie
zoebird
doulaLeah
Angi
CourtBChase
kriket
Ladyinred
Kriket
MBFoley

Leo
Charliemae
cking
Andee
Oiseau
MEcatlady17
Jaclyn

Virgo
DvlDg
Kimiij
Sage.Naissance
Hellga
Bazile
Knitty Gritty
joiedevivre184

Libra
BeccaBear
Mama Khi
MrsMiller
babysnyder'smommy
JlyGrnMigt
Hesperia
Brown Lioness

Scorpio
zejh
Monarchgrrl

Sagittarius
Shaina
barose
Knittinanny

Post in the thread if you want your information added, updated, or changed. If it seems as if I didn't see it, send me a PM and I will do my best to fix it. Thanks!


----------



## Jenne

Here we are http://www.mothering.com/discussions...6#post13710866










Jenne


----------



## Jenne

: How about a roll call? Who's here?! Do you need your info updated or changed?








:

Jenne


----------



## knittinanny

Hi there! I'm here! Info's still the same. We're not TTC yet, but should be within 3-4 months.







That is, if the doctor ever sends our test results over to the clinic...









Happy Cinco de Mayo!














ok, so it's not a sombrero, but it's close)


----------



## zejh

Hi! I'm cautiously optimistic that 2009 is the last year I'll "qualify" for this group at all...







It looks like I'll be due early January... I'm still very much on the cautious side, since I was pregnant back in August and September and that only lasted 6 or 7 weeks, so once I'm past that point, I'll feel a little more on the optimistic side and less on the cautious side...

Otherwise, still 31, still scorpio, birthday in November (1977, in fact... seems to be unanimous for the November birthdays here...







)


----------



## Jenne

Emily- You'll be in my prayers. I hope this one sticks. Are you taking progesterone or any other supplements?

Knitinnanny, shall I add you to the 2009 list?

Jenne


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
Emily- You'll be in my prayers. I hope this one sticks. Are you taking progesterone or any other supplements?
...

Thanks. The only things I've been taking are a daily pre-natal, plus a month or two ago I started taking extra folic acid every day, since I've read that it's associated with lower rates of miscarriage--mine didn't seem to have any cause, though, so unless I have a problem this time, I'm hoping it was just one of those random events...


----------



## terrordactyl

I'm still here mostly been lurking lately since i've been so busy info is still the same.

I've been working two jobs lately one in a restaurant and one in a montessori daycare with babies that are about 7 months old which is so much fun but also has made me realize i'm not exactly ready for kids which is nice. i'm hoping to start my midwifery training in the fall through Ancient Art Midwifery if i can come up with the money for it and for some of my living expenses since there's no way i can work 2 full times jobs and do at least 20 hours of school a week. other than that not much else is new. summer is here







and i'm loving the warm weather i'm trying hard to get out and bike some but its hard when i'm so tired from work... ok that was alot









hope everyone else is doing great and enjoying the sunshine and Congrats to all the new mommies to be


----------



## oiseau

I'm still here and all is the same with me.


----------



## Mama2Dane

I'm here, lurking a lot lately. You can add me to the pregnant list if you'd like.







I started training as a dealer yesterday. The training is 4 hours a day, five days a week for 12 weeks and is unpaid. But, if all goes well, I should get a very fun job out of this! The only problem is I don't know if I still want to make that kind of commute (50 minutes each way) after the baby is born, and we have no intention of moving.







We'll see.

Shaina, things are sounding awesome for you! I think you're pretty lucky to be able to work with very young children right now.New love is a grand thing as well.







How much does the midwifery training cost?


----------



## rhiOrion

I was relatively new on the last thread, but I'm still here.

My info never got posted on the last thread, so here it is:

Rhiyaya, TTC August '09. Birthday is May 19, 1981. Taurus.

And I just took my last birth control pill this past weekend! After eight years on it, I'm looking forward to seeing what my body does without it.

Yay!

-Rhiyaya (Rhiannon)


----------



## tippy

i'm still here too.









dh and i are currently rethinking exactly when we are going to ttc. we are planning a trip to europe this c'mas, so we will either be ttc-ing later this yr, or beginning of 2010. we are still debating this.

in other news, i broke my ankle 2 weeks ago while on vacay to make matters worse, and had to have surgery on it.







so i have to be off of it, and in a cast for 6 wks in total. now i'm kind of glad we didn't start ttc-ing when we originally planned (in apr).


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I'm here, lurking a lot lately. You can add me to the pregnant list if you'd like.







I started training as a dealer yesterday. The training is 4 hours a day, five days a week for 12 weeks and is unpaid. But, if all goes well, I should get a very fun job out of this! The only problem is I don't know if I still want to make that kind of commute (50 minutes each way) after the baby is born, and we have no intention of moving.







We'll see.

Shaina, things are sounding awesome for you! I think you're pretty lucky to be able to work with very young children right now.New love is a grand thing as well.







How much does the midwifery training cost?


the program cost about $3500 but doesnt include books or living expenses and i live in a high rent area which is hard but don't really want to go anywhere else since it seems like its high everywhere these days.







:


----------



## Kyamo

I'm still here, still 3 part time jobs and no full time. Should we consider splitting up "2010 and beyond" into "2010" and "2011 and beyond" since 2010 is next year now? Anyways, we're probably planning on around February 2010, so that can be added to the list.


----------



## Geigerin

Hello! I just did a google search for natural family living forums, and came across this site. After cruising a few of the forums, this looks like a positive, supportive community.

My husband and I are officially TTC. We just started this past month.

Vital stats:
*I'm 29
*Husband is 40
*2 fat cats and 1 dog (great dane)
*Live in a walker-friendly community in the midwest, however, no children nearby (mostly young married couples or elderly couples in the neighborhood)

Looking forward to getting to know you!


----------



## Jenne

Welcome!








:

Jenne


----------



## terrordactyl

welcome!!! Geigerin


----------



## CAndMe

Hey, I still exist!

All my info is the same. I know I haven't been around much. I'm watching a 6 mo old, working at the kids store, and just finished classes this week. Whew. Oh, and I am currently in the process (as in sitting in a living room full of boxes) of moving in with Chris







: He is passed out in bed after all that heavy lifting. He thought it would be easy, he clearly didn't realize how heavy boxes of books are. Congrats to all the pregnancies!!!!!!!! I wish you all 9mos of happy/healthy/glowiness.

Oh, and Shaina, wrt the whole watching babies making you realize you couldn't really do it yet. True that.


----------



## knittygritty

Hi! Can my info be added to the list? Knitty Gritty, age 20, "not sure yet", September 6 birthday, Virgo.

I so enjoy have a place where I belong here at MDC.


----------



## Jenne

Knitty Gritty- Welcome! I added your info...

So...anyone have any exciting summer plans???

Jenne


----------



## rhiOrion

Not too exciting. I usually go to a folk festival in New York state, but this year I'm going to go to the beach with my husband isntead. I haven't gone on a real vacation with my husband since our honeymoon!

We also have a beach trip planned with my mom. I love the beach









Oh, I suppose the whole "try to make a baby" thing is pretty exciting, though!


----------



## Jenne

I am so over the moon excited and I just have to tell someone!!! I think y'all will get it.

I have an appointment to have well woman care done at THE FARM.








Pap smears have never seemed so swell!

(Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled program.)

Jenne


----------



## Sage.Naissance

Haha Jenne, way to make a gyn exam WAY more awesome.

I am headed to Canada for three weeks in july. I will be teaching a holistic doula training, catching up with my friends who are having babies left right and centre(<---am I canadian or WHAT) and visiting my family.
Other than that, taking a WELL DESERVED BREAK from school.
Awesome but intense.
FYI Midwifery school does not make you want babies less.


----------



## knittinanny

Jenne, that's so cool!







(ok, yeah, we're all a bit weird....)

Our summer plans involve going to Spain in 2 weeks. My SIL (who I absolutely adore














is joining us, as is one of her friends. We're driving across Andalucia and eating ourselves silly on tapas.







We're probably also taking a few weekend camping trips with my best friend and his partner if there's ever any decent weather here.

After that, we're getting into high-gear for babymaking. We don't know exactly when the clinic will call us, but we want to be ready.


----------



## Brown Lioness

*comes out of lurkdom*

I'm actually still here. I've been on/lurking this thread since 2006, but was taken off the list last year for inactivity, i guess.

Just to reintroduce myself, I am 29 years old, married to my wonderful hubby for 4 and a half years now, no kids yet (duh lol), no pets yet (







), living in southern Maryland. I'm currently in transition from employee to entrepreneur and once that's done, I will feel comfortable TTC. I'm pretty silly and friendly and have done way too much research on pregnancy, babies and such, so im trying to direct my energies in more immediately productive directions, but still get hit pretty bad with the baby fever.

Anywho, here are my stats if you wanna add me back to the list:
b-day: 10/16/1979
Libra
TTC..hmm..let's shoot for 2010 and beyond

Nice to (re)meet you ladies!


----------



## oiseau

.

Best wishes to all who are TTC/starting TTC.


----------



## rhiOrion

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
I am so over the moon excited and I just have to tell someone!!! I think y'all will get it.

I have an appointment to have well woman care done at THE FARM.








Pap smears have never seemed so swell!

(Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled program.)

Jenne


I totally understand this! I just got an appointment for my yearly stuff at the birth center near here, and this is definitely the first time I've ever been excited about a pap.


----------



## Jenne

LIONESS!!!!







: Sorry, sometimes I get excited.







Welcome back! Long time no see. As you can see, I'm still here.







What's new? If I am recalling correctly the last I had heard y'all had moved and were settling in to your new digs...

Knittinanny- Spain, yeah, wow! That's awesome. I read about your doctor's visit. He, he, he. I'm in a similar position wanting to be medical free but knowing that the only way to get knocked up (sorry I LOVE that term!) is with intervention. Keep us posted!

Sage- Have a great trip. It sounds awesome!

Rhiyaya- Oh, a birth center. We don't have one of those...that would be nice.

Thanks everyone, yeah, I wanted so badly last night to call my Mom and say, "Guess what!" But I knew she wouldn't get it. Thanks for being excited with me. As a corollary to the well woman care, I see the RE on 6/8. That is so soon! I cannot believe it. It is all so fast but at the very same time so long in coming. Is anyone else struggling with that?

Jenne


----------



## rhiOrion

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
It is all so fast but at the very same time so long in coming. Is anyone else struggling with that?


I'm struggling with something similar. Mine is that the TTC date is so far away but so close at the same time. August. When we first starting thinking about this, August was over half a year away. Now it's only 3 months away.

It's next season.

It's before the next school year starts (funny how even though i've been out of college for 5 years, I still think in school years)

But then, at the same time. It's THREE WHOLE MONTHS! It's ANOTHER whole season away. It's NEXT school year.

Ack!








:


----------



## Brown Lioness

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
LIONESS!!!!







: Sorry, sometimes I get excited.







Welcome back! Long time no see. As you can see, I'm still here.







What's new? If I am recalling correctly the last I had heard y'all had moved and were settling in to your new digs...

Yes, ma'am Im still here, lol. We did move and got very settled into our new digs, but our digs didnt settle into us, lol. After our lease expired, we moved across town to be closer to my job (this was when gas was knocking on $5 a gallon). Now we are looking at moving again in-town to a more affordable place for maybe the next year or less, and then will possibley be moving down south (Atlanta, most likely) which will be our LAST intrastate move for a while.

We are SO VERY tired of moving, but we are determined to be happy (and not pay out of the wazoo for it) lol. Truth be told, we should have moved to Atlanta to begin with, but I was so in love with the southern Maryland/DC/Northern VA region, that I couldnt pass it up. Now, im over it! Its too expensive, too crowded and a lil too cold (literally and figurtively) for our taste.

At any rate, as you can see, we are still waiting, mostly on me getting my real estate biz going until we will consider TTCing. I also would like to finish my degree and buy a house, but i will never use my degree again after I get this biz started and leave my corporate job and a house is ideal, but not something to rush into either, lol. So, on those two respects, we still have some ways to go, so i figured I would go ahead and hang with my fellow NMYs again. Its quite hard to stay positive on MDC when dealing with baby fever while having to wait, but then seeing TTCing and pregnant folks left and right....i mean, im happy for them and love to watch their progressions, but still hard cause..well, it aint ME! LOL!

How've you been, Jenne?


----------



## Brown Lioness

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 

Thanks everyone, yeah, I wanted so badly last night to call my Mom and say, "Guess what!" But I knew she wouldn't get it. Thanks for being excited with me. As a corollary to the well woman care, I see the RE on 6/8. That is so soon! I cannot believe it. It is all so fast but at the very same time so long in coming. Is anyone else struggling with that?

Jenne


Oh snap, you goin to the Farm?! You GOTTA take pics or something like that, lol. Are you about to TTC too!?


----------



## joiedevivre184

Hi! Hopefully i can stick around this time! I haven't had internet for almost a year, moved a few times.

Can you update my info - age is 20 (until late august), birthday is august 26th, sign is virgo, same TTC category


----------



## Jenne

joie- Welcome back! I updated your info.

Lioness- Let's see, recently I met a wonderful man, fell in love, married, am in the process of selling my house, in the process of building a new house, and business is growing. That's about it though. Heh. Not much new. Heh.







Yeah, today I go down to the Farm. I'm super excited. It's good to have you back.

oiseau- Moving is so stressful! It will be worth it though.







Peace!

Jenne


----------



## Brown Lioness

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
joie- Welcome back! I updated your info.

Lioness- Let's see, recently I met a wonderful man, fell in love, married, am in the process of selling my house, in the process of building a new house, and business is growing. That's about it though. Heh. Not much new. Heh.







Yeah, today I go down to the Farm. I'm super excited. It's good to have you back.

oiseau- Moving is so stressful! It will be worth it though.







Peace!

Jenne

WHAAA?! Congrats on everything, lady! Ive missed way too much. Ok, so like I was saying, LOTS of pics and a play-by-play of your appointment at the Farm will be in order. I 'll be over here popping the popcorn for all the NYMs, kthanks, lol
















:


----------



## joiedevivre184

My nephew was born yesterday morning! 6lbs 10oz. They named him Malicai (Malachi is the normal spelling).


----------



## Jenne

Okay, it wasn't as wonderful as I expected...

















:

It was BETTER! So, I didn't take any pictures...I know, I know...don't shoot me! I don't think they are "allowed" without permission and I didn't take my camera for that reason. I was already feeling a little bit starstruck and I thought that it might be worse if I was saying, "Can I take your picture?"








Okay, so I picked up BFF (who happened to be off work today and although will probably have a hospital birth it will be attended by a midwife because that is where she is comfy is the person who loaned me the Guide and Spiritual Midwifery) and we headed out early. Which turned out to be a good thing because google directions were not correct at all. But we found it based on my 2003 recollection of driving by a sign that said

The Farm --->

Thankfully, that sign was still there!







So the land there is hilly and pastured and treed. It looks like Tennessee or Scotland or Northern England. Lush. Verdant. Wild flowers were in bloom, trees were in leaf. Almost every little home plot had a garden out which was fenced off from I figure varmints, critters, rabbits, and deer. Some of the original structures ie buses are still around and in use. The homes varied in size and design. BFF and I didn't come up with the right term to describe things--rustic and rural seemed too idyllic...more like how my sleep away camp was. The focus there is obviously not on the material so things were clean and in repair they weren't matching or emphasis. I hope I am making sense. ANYWAY. We arrived at the Midwifery Clinic having passed the store (which was chocked full of lovely organic foods--some things I had never seen before--and foods from their soy dairy but also tie dyed tee shirts, jewelry, and books!) and soy dairy on our way. BFF and I sat outside on a bench and chatted because we were early and the clinic was locked. After 10 minutes or so Pam came over and opened the clinic and when she was ready for us, invited us inside. Inside, was the most gorgeous Tibetan prayer flags I have ever seen dyed with various symbols of womanhood and motherhood. Like -->







:
There were leaflets, brochures, and flyers about nutrition, hearing screenings for babies, and various other woman/mama/baby stuff. We met in the large front exam room. We sat in plastic patio chairs!







The entire appointment lasted 2 hours! It was just Pam, BFF, and I the whole time. She did a urine test (I still! have blood in my urine WTF! but everything else looked great), iron level, and a Pap. Oh and she gave me one of the breat exam aides that are filled with silicon and it works! I have never felt confident in my ability to give myself an exam with any accuracy. Those things work! I am absolutely appaled that every woman does not own one and that they were blocked from the market place! It was the most thorough breast exam I have ever been given and probably the only accurate one. The gentlest pap too. So that was about 15 minutes at the end of our time. The rest of the time we talked about health, diet, questions I had about coming to the Farm for birth and prenatal care. I was brave and asked about the Ina Mae/Laura Shanley feud and how their belief that birth should be attend effected their practice. (Oh! She said once I'm pregnant she will make sure I meet all the midwives including Ina Mae...whoa!) She said that because they were more educated and understood the process better that they were more hands off now then ever. I believed that. She also said that at any time I could ask for more or less hands on. I believed that. I mentioned that I have PCOS in talking about my cycles and going to an RE in June and she said that in the Amish community it meant having 8-10 children instead of 17-18. She was didn't mention once my weight or say the horrible things you here said to women of size who want to become pregnant. You know, she was the first practioner ever to explain BEFORE what she was going to do during the pap. Now, having had many paps I knew what she was going to do, but it just was so nice to be consulted and have it explained. She also was very observant about my multiple allergies and how that would work. She took us over to one of the birthing cabins that is next door to her house. It was a kitchen/living room, a small bedroom, and a bathroom with a sun porch and a deck. It was clean and was what I expected after having seen other buildings there. Again, the emphasis not on having a perfectly decorated birthing suite but a place to do the work of having a birth. Does that make sense. When we were done Pam hugged both of us and said she hoped she would see me soon! It was wonderful. She was wonderful. Although I really want a homebirth, I would compromise on that to have her attend my birth. Absolutely...
























I feel like I've already gone on enough...I'm happy to answer any questions though...

Oh, yeah, we talked about the need for prenatal vitamins. She said I'd be okay with continuing to take my iodine, adding Vitamin D (evidently people don't get enough even from the sun), and folic acid. That was a relief, those vitamins make me so sick!

Jenne


----------



## Jenne

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joiedevivre184* 
My nephew was born yesterday morning! 6lbs 10oz. They named him Malicai (Malachi is the normal spelling).

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Jenne


----------



## Brown Lioness

Aww, Jenne, im jealous, it sounds like the most wonderful Pap smear appointment of all! Im due to have my pap and i wish i could go to the Farm to get it done, lol. If you get to meet Ina Mae, i will die FOR YOU, that woman is the PIFF!

Im lil bummed, i just got back from lunch and went to the bathroom before coming back to my desk and i heard a woman pumping her milk in one of the stalls. The company i work for (which is IN the health industry), doesnt have a designated pumping room for all the new mamas in our office so they have to resort to pumping in any room they can find, and today, it looks like the only room available was the frickin BATHROOM.

UGH. I feel like I should SAY something but what can *I* do, im not even a darn mama yet and i did talk to one new mama about not having a room to pump in and she just seemed to be resigned to the fact that this is the way it is and will be.







I prolly shouldnt care since I dont plan to be here when we start having babies, but still, i feel so bad for all the mamas just trying to pump for their child and being marginalized like this.


----------



## Khadijah12345

Khadijah Here, I'm new and ttc #1 so I don't know how long I will be here but I will make it last. I'm 19 and turn 20 in sept. and I had a MC in February and have been ttc for exactly a year. so is that all you need to know or what else would you like to know?

salaams Khadijah


----------



## joiedevivre184

Jenne - Thanks for the Congrats!

Brown Lioness - That's horrible









Welcome, Khadijah! I love your name! Good luck TTC


----------



## ladyinred

Hi, I'm here! Sorry I've been away for a while but I felt like I needed a break from MDC. I was starting to feel a little depressed these past two cycles around my ovulation time because it feels like FOREVER before I get to have a baby. Every time I saw a baby or heard about one of my MANY friends getting pregnant, instead of feeling totally happy for them, I felt jealous. So I decided I needed a break from thinking about babies, but that didn't work because I'm kind of surrounded by pregnant people it seems, but I'm feeling a bit better now.

Right before I left, someone was talking about the things they wanted to do to prepare themselves for pregnancy. I have been thinking about that for a while. I think my weight and health are generally fine. I would like to get some of my muscle tone back and am working on that, especially my core muscles, and I'd like to get back into drinking more water. Mostly, though, the only thing holding us back from TTC now is my work. I need to get a full time teaching job. With the economy the way it is now, that may not happen as fast as I'd like it, so I may have to wait a few more years. But miracles can happen! I'd also like to start actively seeking out more information about pregnancy and babies for myself rather than just picking up random information here and there from people telling me things.

I'm glad to be back!


----------



## kimiij

Wow...I didn't even realize that the thread had moved! There's been more action in this one than there was in the other one for like the past two months!

Anyways...my stats are the same. Trying to deal with not being able to know when I'll have a family of my own. But..I love MDC so I can't tear myself away







Trying to lead a fulfilling life on my own.









I'm getting ready to move for midwifery school this fall. Can't wait!


----------



## tippy

*jenne* i was so ignorant about the farm until this week when i was reading "pushed" by jennifer block. there was a couple of paragraphs in there about it. omg, i think it's so cool that you got to go check it out. i'm so jealous!! glad you had a good trip.


----------



## Jenne

I'm glad y'all found us!







So my chart totally made me cry for the past two days--first because I thought there was a strong chance I might have O'd and caught it and then because there is no chance I o'd and no chance I caught it.














:







Oh, well. I see the RE on the 8th of June so maybe June isn't out the window...I guess things will happen as they are supposed to.

I'm once again chest high in boxes. We close on my house next Tuesday so I have to get the staged stuff out plus we are moving stuff out of the apartment to make more room. They poured the foundation for our new house yesterday and the framing starts going up today. Soon...







:

DH found out that he'll be working nights in June.








This means our life together will be essentially zero. He'll be working when I'm sleeping, I'll be working when he is sleeping. He works until 7am on Saturday so no Friday night date nights. Plus my office is in our tiny apartment so we'll have to figure out how to help him sleep while I try to keep phone convos to a minimum. It's only a month though!







You can do anything for a month!









kimiij- Where are you going to midwifery school. CT? Where in CT, I have a cousin who lives up there she might have some roommate referrals...

Jenne


----------



## oiseau

.

Hope everyone else is doing well...and welcome new people!


----------



## Kyamo

I just noticed kriket is on the "TTC currently" list. I'm pretty sure she already had her baby.


----------



## cupcakeladybug

Please add me! I'm Lacey. I'd like to conceive in 2010 and beyond (preferably add two to three years to that







), and I'd also like to adopt. I have no children yet. Thank you


----------



## joiedevivre184

Glad to see you found us, Lacey!


----------



## cupcakeladybug

Thank you, Shelby! It's so good to be here.







:


----------



## patronia

Hi! I'm kinda on and off here, my TTC status needs to be taken down, I'm still *not* yet TTC.







:


----------



## APBTlover

Similar to Patronia, we have NOT started TTCing yet.







: I just have to let go and know, "there is no perfect time."

We really DO plan to start next month, though. I am fed up with waiting but it's too late for this cycle, definitely.


----------



## zejh

Hi! I just noticed I'm still listed as "TTC Currently", but I'm actually almost 9 weeks pregnant now!







:

Could someone switch my listing? Thanks!


----------



## cupcakeladybug

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zejh* 
Hi! I just noticed I'm still listed as "TTC Currently", but I'm actually almost 9 weeks pregnant now!







:

Could someone switch my listing? Thanks!


Congratulations!!!!


----------



## terrordactyl

wow this thread is dead again....

not much new with me going to be starting midwifery school in december hopefully, moving back to hawaii for the summer not much else is new


----------



## Kyamo

It hit me today as I was bicycling home from work. I'll probably be TTC in less than a year. I was like OMG OMG OMG. Despite being so looked forward to, its SCARY also!


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shaina* 
wow this thread is dead again....

not much new with me going to be starting midwifery school in december hopefully, moving back to hawaii for the summer not much else is new

where are you going to midwifery school?


----------



## rhiOrion

Hey, can you change my name on here? I was Rhiyaya.

But I decided that I needed something that isnt my main online user name. Mostly because I realized that if I googled it, MDC threads were coming up... not good, not good at all!

Now, hopefully this one won't come up!


----------



## JlyGrnMigt

I was mostly a lurker here before anyway, but then I faded away the last time the thread switched. My cousin is having a baby shower in a few weeks and it made me wonder what was up with everyone here.







Congrats to all those who are pregnant, and luck to those TTC!

I'm not sure what I was up to the last time I posted, but I'm deep into the wedding planning now, since we're getting hitched in August. Hooray for health insurance!

We still plan to spend a year in China starting probably next Feb., and will likely start TTC there with the intention of coming back to the US in time for the birth. Of course, every month I think things like "if I got pregnant right now, I wouldn't even be showing by the time the wedding rolled around!"

Now, I'll remember to subscribe to this thread so I can at least lurk via the email digest!


----------



## terrordactyl

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kimiij* 
where are you going to midwifery school?

i'm doing it through ancient art midwifery i want to be a direct entry home birth midwife


----------



## patronia

I just found out one of my good friends is having a baby boy in about three months







I'm a bit worried about her because she's having some issues, and per usual I'm totally jealous, but I hope she's happy as a mother!

How's everyone else going?


----------



## Jenne

I'm sorry I haven't been updating the thread. With the changes to the layout I've had trouble. Anyway, I just have a minute to pop over and say HI! Welcome new ladies, welcome back long lost friends! I will get to updating sometime this week. In the meantime...

What's everyone's favorite thing about summer?

Jenne


----------



## rhiOrion

That it's not winter.


----------



## tippy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zejh* 
Hi! I just noticed I'm still listed as "TTC Currently", but I'm actually almost 9 weeks pregnant now!







:

Could someone switch my listing? Thanks!

aww, congrats!!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rhiOrion* 
That it's not winter.

this.









not much happening with me. dh and i have decided to start ttc in aug. that way i won't be that far along (4 months or so at the most) when we go on our trip to europe in dec. i'm really nervous about it since it is right around the corner, but i've been reading 'pushed', and i'm trying to read some other books, materials to help me feel better about the whole thing.


----------



## patronia

It's winter here in Aus







: Sorry to make you all jealous


----------



## anticrime

Hi, hopefully my stay in this group will be brief. sorry, I don't know any abreviations yet. my hubby and I are trying to have a little one. If it doesn't happen the standard way, we plan to look at adoption next year. so, hi, y'all. nice to "meet" ya!


----------



## anticrime

Quote:


Originally Posted by *patronia* 
It's winter here in Aus







: Sorry to make you all jealous 

I am SOOOO jealous. It is nearly 100 with over 90% humidity.


----------



## oiseau

.
Best wishes to everyone and welcome new people.


----------



## Jenne

Everyone--I think I got things updated on the front page. With the new MDC stuff some things aren't working for me consistently. Please let me know if it is correct.









oiseau-- I'm glad your move went well. Good luck on the couch situation! What a drag!

I'm currently waiting to O having done Femara this cycle. It is scary. But all the bding is great fun!







It is hot, hot, hot here. Or maybe it is just humid, humid, humid...hmmm. BFF got an above ground pool last weekend so I have been over to her place several times this week to swim. It's fantastic!

Let me know if anything needs to be changed on the front thread. I'm hesitant to move things without being explicitly told by the person as I don't want to jinx anyone nor do I want to delete or move anyone accidently and hurt people's feelings.









Jenne


----------



## rubyinthedust

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
Let me know if anything needs to be changed on the front thread. I'm hesitant to move things without being explicitly told by the person as I don't want to jinx anyone nor do I want to delete or move anyone accidently and hurt people's feelings.









In that case, could you please add me to the front page? I'm 19 and my birthday is September 11th, making me a Virgo. I am definitely not sure about TTCing seeing as I have no partner!

I guess everyone must be out enjoying the summer weather (well, summer for most) instead of posting. I'm not much of a summer person though. My pale Irish skin cannot take it! But since I'm a student, it's nice to relax during the summer and actually get in some reading for pleasure.


----------



## rhiOrion

Jenne- I still need to have my named changed on the list. From Rhiyaya to rhiOrion. Thanks!


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rubyinthedust* 
I guess everyone must be out enjoying the summer weather (well, summer for most) instead of posting.

I want to. Lately it's just been work, work, work. I'm working at one job while training at another. I never get a whole day to myself without having to be somewhere.







Oh well. Soon training will be over and I can go down to one.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rubyinthedust* 
I'm not much of a summer person though. My pale Irish skin cannot take it! But since I'm a student, it's nice to relax during the summer and actually get in some reading for pleasure.

I slather tons of sunscreen on my pale Irish (and German) skin.







I love summer too much to miss out.


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I want to. Lately it's just been work, work, work. I'm working at one job while training at another. I never get a whole day to myself without having to be somewhere.







Oh well. Soon training will be over and I can go down to one.

I slather tons of sunscreen on my pale Irish (and German) skin.







I love summer too much to miss out.

Boston lately has been perfect for anyone of northern european ancestry... Of course, I'd like it if summer were actually happening... I think there was sun on Saturday, and Thursday or Friday it might get over 70...


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## sweetsunshine85

Hey there mamas. I posted on an older thread. Still not a mama yet. Hard to be one when you are single. :-/ I miss all the babies back home! Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say hi!


----------



## Jenne

I have been a member here since (well I can't see it but you can!) 2004??? and have been a member of this tribe since then. NMYers have come and gone and few have hung around as long as I have. Unfortunately, I believe my time at Mothering is coming to an end. Due to recent changes I am finding membership here to be untenable with my ideas of support and community. I am desperately heartbroken over these events. I am going to think on this for awhile before I make a final decision but I wanted y'all to be aware so that thread stewardship could continue. Feel free to PM me if you want more information.

Sincerely,

Jenne


----------



## APBTlover

Well, we had to put my mom's dog down today.







3 weeks ago we took her to the vet for what we thought was an eye infection or small injury (it was slightly weepy and she seemed to be squinting constantly)... and they told us she had some type of lymphatic cancer. Apparently the swollen nodes were pinching off either nerves or blood to that eye. The did give her a shot, which made her good-as-new for about 2 weeks, and then it was downhill again. This morning she could barely breathe (swollen nodes pinching off her trachea) and would hardly stand up. I didn't mean to write a novel, but this has been sad for us, especially since we lost DH's childhood dog -- a 15 year old Rottie/GSD mix -- only about a month ago.

On a somewhat brighter note... our plans to TTC next cycle are pretty much written in stone. I am getting an amalgam filling removed/replaced early next week, and that will be the end of our "unfinished business." I was back-and-forth over whether to remove that filling or not, but my dentist brought it up and I think it's a good idea. We'll see. Actually DH and I got a little carried away a couple of nights ago (*blush*), and were kind of worried we might "catch" this cycle and I'd have to cancel the appointment, but I think we're good. If I go another day or two without a temp spike I'll be over 99.9% sure.

But next month.... I can't wait!!!!!!!!


----------



## APBTlover

*Jenne*, I can't believe I didn't see your post before mine was posted! I am so sorry you feel that way... although I know it is getting to be a more and more common feeling, and I've had some similar thoughts myself.


----------



## redlilyblue

Just found this place tonight by reccomendation of a friend. I have no idea how to join groups or for that matter, even find the one in particular I was told to look for. Anyone have any suggestions? Oh yeah, my partner and I are trying to get pregnant in August! YAY


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *redlilyblue* 
Just found this place tonight by reccomendation of a friend. I have no idea how to join groups or for that matter, even find the one in particular I was told to look for. Anyone have any suggestions? Oh yeah, my partner and I are trying to get pregnant in August! YAY

Welcome!!

There's no formal way to join a group. All you have to do is post in a thread (just like you did with this one!).


----------



## rhiOrion

I threw the diaphram into the back of the drawer last night. So I'm still not a mama yet... but I'm now officially trying to change that!!!!!!


----------



## APBTlover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rhiOrion* 
I threw the diaphram into the back of the drawer last night. So I'm still not a mama yet... but I'm now officially trying to change that!!!!!!

All right!








:

So are we! I am so excited it's almost slightly embarrassing.


----------



## rhiOrion

Woooo! YAY! May the BFPs be plentiful!


----------



## APBTlover

Sooooo.... it's been quiet in here! How is everyone?


----------



## tippy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *APBTlover* 
Sooooo.... it's been quiet in here! How is everyone?

just checking in...well, today is CD6 of TTC cycle #1. i'm extremely.scared but hopefully everything will work out







after 5 yrs of charting to avoid, it's going to be so weird to "break" the rules - lol.


----------



## zejh

Quote:


Originally Posted by *APBTlover* 
Sooooo.... it's been quiet in here! How is everyone?

I'm nearing the end of week 16 of working on disqualifying myself from belonging here.









About 5 months to go!

It's been good-boring the past few weeks, after a bad-interesting June.

Good luck to those of you who are just starting out!


----------



## APBTlover

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tippy* 
after 5 yrs of charting to avoid, it's going to be so weird to "break" the rules - lol.

It is, isn't it?

I know this is unusual for this site (or at least those who frequent the TTC board!), but I am not charting this month. We decided to just do what we wanted, when we wanted,







and see what happens. DH in particular didn't want to jump from "obsess about avoiding" directly to "obsess about conceiving." Of course, if things don't work out in a few cycles, we'll be back to charting. Anyway, what this translates into for me is... I don't know exactly when/if I ovulated. So I don't have the days down to a science, like everyone else seems to. I feel kind of strange that everyone else is "6 DPO" and "testing next Tuesday morning," etc. I'm just like, _"um, I could be pregnant, too! I hope so! Maybe I'll find out in the next couple of weeks?"_









I am silly.


----------



## oiseau

A question to anyone who has experience charting: temping doesn't work for me because of insomnia issues, so I've pretty much given up on that, but I still pay attention to cervical fluid as well as the position of my cervix. We don't rely on it for anything, I just keep track of it because I like to know what's going on. Anyway.... My cervix keeps doing weird stuff, as in, being soft and short one day then firm, long and closed later that day...then repeating the whole thing the next day. I think I O'ed last weekend, and it's just been weird this week. Any ideas??


----------



## Mama2Dane

I've been extremely busy over here. The last 12 weeks have all been focused on getting through dealer training. Now that I'm finally in the casino, I can calm down and focus my attention on the babe.







The pregnancy is going well except my iron was low and my platelets were low -- but I'm working to change that.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *oiseau* 
A question to anyone who has experience charting: temping doesn't work for me because of insomnia issues, so I've pretty much given up on that, but I still pay attention to cervical fluid as well as the position of my cervix. We don't rely on it for anything, I just keep track of it because I like to know what's going on. Anyway.... My cervix keeps doing weird stuff, as in, being soft and short one day then firm, long and closed later that day...then repeating the whole thing the next day. I think I O'ed last weekend, and it's just been weird this week. Any ideas??

I would still try to temp every day after your longest stretch of sleep and then make sure you just mark the time. It won't be perfect, but temping is more art than science anyhow. Your cervix should normally change throughout the day so you could just pick a time in the morning and stick with that time every day. I know that helped keep my chart a little more consistent. I hope you find some of this useful!
















to all those TTC!!!!


----------



## Minarai

Hi, I'm new here, not married yet, no kids yet.
I joined so I could gather as much parenting advice ahead of time as I could so I won't have to go on a crash course when and if I ever get pregnant. I've seen (and AM, for that matter) what happens when moms-to-be don't do their homework: elective caesareans, formula feeding, circumcision, vaccines, the whole nine yards.

Do I meet the criteria for this tribe, or am I missing something?
If so...


----------



## APBTlover

You're welcome here!







:


----------



## kimiij

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Minarai* 
Hi, I'm new here, not married yet, no kids yet.
I joined so I could gather as much parenting advice ahead of time as I could so I won't have to go on a crash course when and if I ever get pregnant. I've seen (and AM, for that matter) what happens when moms-to-be don't do their homework: elective caesareans, formula feeding, circumcision, vaccines, the whole nine yards.

Do I meet the criteria for this tribe, or am I missing something?
If so...



















It's been kinda quiet around here lately but you're in the right place!

Anyways...I'm still here...I'm about to start midwifery school and so I'm super excited about that







:

Not so excited about still being single but I've since made a move to a small city/university town so hopefully my prospects are looking up.


----------



## terrordactyl

wow its been dead in here for awhile


----------



## oiseau

I'm still here. I finally replaced my dead old laptop, so I'm not sharing my boyfriend's computer anymore and I can be on MDC all I want. Not much new going on though. Wish I had a better idea for jumpstarting this thread again...


----------



## tippy

just updating my stats....

dh and i were lucky enough to get a BFP this cycle (last week wed actually)!







so i guess i can be moved over to the pg section. our EDD is 5/29/10.

i hope all those looking for a BFP get theirs!!! sending lots of baby dust.....


----------



## gringuitica

Relatively new to MDC (new enough that I have to reference everyone's acronyms!) and new to NMY, so I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm 26, birthday May 19, and my DP and I plan to begin TTC mid-2010.

I always knew that I wanted to be a mom, but now that we're gearing up to TTC, I feel both excited and nervous. We're starting to read books, have subscribed to Mothering magazine, and are trying to educate ourselves on the basics, but we can't help but feel underprepared. I guess I feel that we'll always feel underprepared - how can you be totally ready for such a life-changing event? - but it's still an unsettling feeling. I hope I'm not alone! Have you ladies felt like that, too? How do you calm your concerns?


----------



## Mama2Dane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tippy* 
dh and i were lucky enough to get a BFP this cycle (last week wed actually)!







so i guess i can be moved over to the pg section. our EDD is 5/29/10.

Congratulations!!! It's too exciting, isn't it?









Quote:


Originally Posted by *gringuitica* 
Relatively new to MDC (new enough that I have to reference everyone's acronyms!) and new to NMY, so I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm 26, birthday May 19, and my DP and I plan to begin TTC mid-2010.

I always knew that I wanted to be a mom, but now that we're gearing up to TTC, I feel both excited and nervous. We're starting to read books, have subscribed to Mothering magazine, and are trying to educate ourselves on the basics, but we can't help but feel underprepared. I guess I feel that we'll always feel underprepared - how can you be totally ready for such a life-changing event? - but it's still an unsettling feeling. I hope I'm not alone! Have you ladies felt like that, too? How do you calm your concerns?

Welcome.








I had to realize at a certain point that I can never really be ready. Learning as much as you can early is good, though. I like that your DP is reading too.







I'm sure it makes things way easier to be on the same page.


----------



## gringuitica

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Andee* 
I had to realize at a certain point that I can never really be ready. Learning as much as you can early is good, though. I like that your DP is reading too.







I'm sure it makes things way easier to be on the same page.

Hehe, well, by reading, I mean that I read and post-it everything that I want him to read. He's doing well though! Pretty open-minded about everything, even though Costa Rica is not very progressive when it comes to baby-raising. They're great with breastfeeding, but don't get started on selective vaccination or homebirth - non-vaccination or deviation from schedule is, by law, considered child abuse (the police can get involved) and midwives are not allowed to practice here. Anyway, that's getting off-topic! The point is that DP is supportive and trying to keep his mind open to natural parenting, as am I - this is a journey for us both! I have no doubt that wanting to deviate from the norm is part of what has us nervous - when you see one thing all around you but want to do another thing, it's easy to second-guess yourself. Thankfully, we have one friend (who introduced me to this forum) that is raising her 8-month old in a natural way, and it's wonderful to see him growing into a happy, healthy and very well-adjusted baby, even without all the "normal" accoutrements.


----------



## terrordactyl

Where is everyone these days?


----------



## oiseau

.


----------



## knittinanny

Oiseau -







You are strong and amazing, sister. You will be okay. I'm really sorry that your TTC schedule has gotten pushed back because of such a big health scare, but I try to believe in silver linings and all that. We're always here if you need us! When do you start treatments?

AFM, I don't know what's going on. DP and I were all ready to start our course of IVF (we had one more test left) and then DP decided s/he didn't want children, or did, but not now, or maybe that s/he didn't even want to be with me anymore. I don't know if we're separating, divorcing, staying together....everything's up in the air right now. I'm pretty crushed. We've been together for 12 years. S/he's been my only partner ever. I have no idea how things will work out.

So...roll on with the happy updates!


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## EricaDoula

My hubby and I are TTC. He finished chemo April 27, '09. So, we've been trying for a few months now! Hoping for a 2010 baby!!


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## Kyamo

I saw pictures on Ravelry - JessicaRenee's baby was born.

As for my update, I'm on my last pack of pills now, but we won't be actually TTC after that. I just want to have some time off the pills before TTC to learn to chart and let my cycle come back.


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## ladyinred

Hey, I've been AWOL for a while. In the spring, being on here was getting to hard on me emotionally. So many people close to me were having babies and I still have a long time to wait and I find that hard. My brother and SIL had a healthy baby boy a month and a half ago. He's so beautiful.

I'm still waiting on a full time teaching contract so I can have mat leave, but now DP has just got a new job with much better medical benifits so that's a good start.

My bad news is that DP may have colon cancer. He had an ultrasound the other day (after many other tests that all came back negative) and there are two lumps in his intestines. We'll find out more on Wednesday at his doctor's appointment. I'm trying to stay positive but I'm also really worried. For others who have dealt with similar situations, any advice? Can chemo affect fertility? What can I expect?


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## oiseau

.
The coolest resource I've found for young adults with cancer is Fertile Hope. That site should answer most of the questions you might have. For guys, things are a billion times easier because it's so easy to collect and freeze sperm for later.
Also, I babysat for a family in which the dad had been diagnosed with colon cancer when their first child was 2 weeks old. When I began babysitting for them, their daughter was 3.5 and they had an adorable 6month old son who was naturally conceived after the dad finished his chemo.
Hopefully none of this info will be necessary and your partner will be ok. Feel free to get in touch with me though...I am still a cancer newbie, but I have learned a ton of stuff in the past few weeks. Best wishes!


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## Cukie

Hi I am new and hope this is the right place to stop by and say hello. Similar to another poster I am going through posts and beginning to learn the new acronyms. I hope to learn and give back to this community.
DH and I will be TTC 2010. We are 32, and are excited to start on this journey!
I tend to over think and over research everything - occupational hazard, why I am here but know babies just have their own schedule


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## oiseau

*bump*

Anyone still around? I'd like to revive the NMY thread...any interest?? Let me know and I'll try to start a new winter thread for us.


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## AMFemmeFlesh

Hi!

My Hubby and I are just beginning to TTC; after much reading - we've decided to take the plunge! I look forward to learning about other TTC NMYs.


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## aquarius aspiring

*bumps*

I'd be interested in a winter 2009/2010 NMY thread.









I need to poke and prod myself to get started on the "before kids" check-list (of sorts). So far, I've got lose weight, starting eating better, and take daily vitamins.


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## Lucy03rn

I'd love to join this tribe! I've been reading Mothering for a while. My husband and I have been married for a little over two years, and we're getting closer to TTC. But, we're not quite ready. I'm also worried about our fertility because I have PCOS and my husband is very overweight. We're working on getting healthier right now!


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## oiseau

Here's the link! Come join us!!


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## knittygritty

EDIT: Whoa, sorry to ressurect this dino! It was the newest one on the forum list!


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