GTKY 4/4 Edition!

2MamazInSeattle

Sorry running a little late today...

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.
2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!
5. What's up for the weekend?!

BONUS: PIP of choice!

rkbo

1. We are over the moon thrilled with our betas this week. Can't believe there is a new life growing inside me right now.

2. Pineapple

3. It's currently a mix of my wife and I. She is the huge book lover and has a big bookshelf in the living room filled to the max with some of her books. Unfortunately until we buy a bigger place most of her books have to stay in storage. I like it neat and clean and clutter free. I am not one to have a lot of "stuff", but my wife is the opposite. Everything to her has sentimental value.

4. Gosh, I don't really know any other sites right now. My main one is here with all of you wonderful people.

5. I am currently in Vegas visiting my wife for the weekend. She is at work right now so I am contemplating what I should do today. I brought my bathing suit but it's pretty gloomy out right now. Other than that, just hang out when she is off work, maybe gamble a little, a virgin bloody Mary sounds really good right now.

PIP... Our kitty.

Have a great weekend everyone!

KH826

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

I am proud of my wife for cooking for us last night and for trying a new recipe, which is a big deal for her. She is not adventurous in the kitchen, but she tried something new and it was really good. It also made me really happy to come home and take a nice relaxing shower and put on PJs when I got home last night while she made dinner. I asked if I could help when I got out of the shower, and she said no that baby and I should just got sit on the couch for a while! It was lovely, and I swear it helped me unwind and sleep a tad better last night.

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?

Watermelon

3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

I would describe it as a mix between Pottery Barn inspired and Antique-y rustic ... we like a mix of deep earth tones and fun bright pops of color. We don't like white walls. We don't have a single white wall in our house. We don't like uber contemporary or modern, but maybe rustic with a little bit of a modern flare (as opposed to farmhouse rustic, which is also not us). Not sure that makes sense to anyone other than me. We love decorating and have a very "us" style that is hard to really explain in words...

4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

This is a fun little mindless test to take to predict how many children you should have - https://www.playbuzz.com/rachaelg/how-many-kids-are-you-going-to-have 

I took it and sent it to my wife to take earlier today. We both got 3 kids as our result. I was impressed and texted my wife "we're a match!"... Her response: "Except we are having 4 kids ;-)" HA... guess we are not quite as much on the same page as I thought...

5. What's up for the weekend?!

Tomorrow is our all day "marathon" birthing class. Whew! I am tired and a little overwhelmed just thinking about it. If I said I wasn't kind of nervous for reasons that I can't quite articulate I would be lying. Sunday, my mother-in-law is coming over in the morning and we are going out to breakfast. Then she and my wife are going shopping for nursery decor, and I am going grocery shopping and to run other assorted errands. We shall see what time everyone gets back to the house from their respective stops on Sunday and see what else is in store for the day... hopefully some relaxing for me in the afternoon, because I am already tired just thinking about this weekend!

And I am all PIPed out after sharing 3 different ones yesterday. I got nothin....

2momsinCA

1. I'm proud of getting to week 20 of this pregnancy. Every week helps me to feel a little more and more confident that we will get to meet these boys.

2. Mango

3. A mix of beachy and Spanish/Mexican inspired rustic. We love colorful tiles, colorful walls, but we also love the washed out whites, blues and greens of beachy/coastal (mostly cape cod style, K is from New England) decor. We have some heavy, teak rustic pieces of furniture that actually do not clash with our white and turquoise accents and then we also like vintage graphic design and advertising for art. It helps that our condo is very old and architectural with high ornately designed ceilings, black wood floors, archways, and thick adobe style walls. And it's a block from the beach so it all fits together. I see this all becoming generally a mess and baby themed once the boys arrive.

4. I don't really look at a whole lot of other baby related links. When I was ttc I was all over the internet searching for info on supplements, acupuncture, yoga, any little boost to my fertility and the best ways to get through the tww. But I think by my 6th cycle I realized the searching wasn't good for me. Now I've been pretty restrained when it comes to baby related internet stuff and just joining this community was a big step.

5. We are going to a big sunset wedding on the beach on Saturday. It should be beautiful! We are really looking forward to seeing friends!

mrs&mrsk

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

Proud of getting all the initial paperwork done to TTC , tons of reading and working on getting the ball rolling!  Also proud of figuring out our insurance issues before the deadline to enroll in DW's as a secondary!  
2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?  strawberries but I am biased as produce is my profession
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?  Modern-ish? neutrals, pops of color
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!  

i'm sure most of you have heard of this already but it was super interesting for me when i found it!!  https://www.hypnobabies.com/
5. What's up for the weekend?!

basement cleaning saturday, fundraiser sunday

healz413

1. I found a massage reciept that was two days short of being a year old (and therefore not claimable on insurance) and submitted it! There's $100 we almost lost out on. I also finished my paper grading on time and didn't have to stay up too late and wasn't too miserable!

2. Raspberries, pineapple, and mangoes are tied! I would pick raspberries though if you made me choose.

3. We rent an apartment and see it as a 2-3 year place (we hope) before moving possibly out of Toronto. We haven't painted at all and still 80% of our furniture is stuff one of us brought into the relationship. So we don't have a cohesive style. We have similar taste in furniture but different taste in art (but I like most of @manada's art and she likes some of mine. Our stuff is pretty casual and dog friendly. A lot of it was purchased at ikea, garbage picked, bought on Craigslist, acquired from friends, etc.

4. Offbeatfamilies.com. It's no longer an active blog but I believe the stuff is still archived. (Am on my phone so don't want to look because I might lose what I've written)

5. I babysit tonight and M is getting a haircut. Tomorrow we are running some errands and hanging out with our friend A. Sunday we are driving to Niagara Falls to see my brother who is visiting there with a friend.

Still don't know how to mobile PIP

JGY

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

G slept well 3 nights this week.  BIG WIN!

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?

Hmmmm, what do I always grab first on a fruit tray ... I think probably pineapple.  Although fresh raspberries are also amazing.

3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

Hoarder Chic.  Honestly.  We have SO much stuff and we're trying to cut down but it all has sentimental value to me, or I can't fathom parting with it because it has some actual value.  It's awful and it makes S miserable.  My most recent effort is to try to invest in some mature pieces that can help store things so there is less clutter.  Ugh.  The funny part is, I absolutely love to decorate new and empty spaces.  And when I do, I choose carefully and don't crowd them.  The nursery was so.much.fun to put together, but how often do I get a totally new and empty space?  That was probably the only time.

4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

First of all @KH826, I took that quiz and it said 3.  The reasoning was some BS about being able to have kids and still have time to yourself.  In what crazy-ass world do these people live???  I have 1 child and ZERO time to myself.  I found that hilarious.  And also, I not-so-secretly want to live in that world. 

Hmmmm, well I saw this article today which I found really fascinating:
https://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2014/01/organic_vs_conventional_produce_for_kids_you_don_t_need_to_fear_pesticides.html

5. What's up for the weekend?!

S has a continuing ed thing all weekend, so I'll be flying solo with Gabe and the fuzzies.  And of course stupid MN got about 10 inches of snow last night so we'll likely be cooped up inside again.  I suppose we'll try to make our way to the Children's Museum for a little while, and I'll come up with another outing, but mostly we'll be home trying to keep the dog out of the crate and otherwise just trying to survive with no lasting injuries to the house.

BONUS: PIP of choice!

Another choice portrait from this week's session (I know these have to be getting old for you guys).  This one is more of an outtake:

 

trisholio

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

This has been an exciting week at our house with the girls.  Baby K crawled for the first time last Saturday and is now army crawling all over the place, she also has her first tooth popping thru.  I cannot believe how big she is getting and I love we get to witness so many 1st's with her.
2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?

Probably stawberries, but right now I am eating an apple
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

Well considering almost everything in our house is hand be downs, I don't think I have a style.  Everything including couches and stuff are in great shape, but it was given to us.  We got our coffee table at a garage sale, painted it and customized it with our names and wedding date.  We are pretty boring and I don't like clutter, so everything is put away.
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

I thought I would share the good news.  An Ohio Judge is going to rule the ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional.  Yay!!!  It's a step in the right direction.  https://wvxu.org/post/federal-judge-says-he-will-declare-ohios-gay-marriage-ban-unconstitutional?utm_referrer=http://m.wvxu.org/?utm_referrer=#mobile/25077

5. What's up for the weekend?!

We don't have many plans this weekend except Sunday is my sisters baby shower.  I still have to buy her gift, oops.  I am excited and nervous for her shower, I am nervous because we are taking the girls to another foster family house for the afternoon.  I have never met these people, but they were recommended by our case workeer.  I am sure they are great people, but to me they are strangers and I am leaving my children with them.  It's a bit strange to me, but I am sure it will be okay.

BONUS: PIP of choice!

Here is a picture of my sister and I as kids.  I am the younger (cuter one) :-)

2MamazInSeattle

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

Rather than driving, I walked the 50 minutes to Mexican food this week! I promptly negated the 'workout' but still, better a zero sum than being in the hole, right??!

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?

This is hard, but if I can get my hands on a stellar pear or peach I'm thrilled! Outside of that, I love cherry season in the PNW (esp. Rainiers!)

3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

We have an old house but have some retro-yet-modern looking furniture and art. Definitely a bit of a funky vibe, but still neat/coordinated and put together. At least when we try.

4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

@ball.and.chain used her mad research skills for me and found this link as I was sweating what sunscreen to use on our upcoming trip to Maui (the usual brands are not good for pregnant people or kids at all!)....here's the link if you need sunscreen!

https://safemama.com/cheatsheets/sunscreen/

5. What's up for the weekend?!

Not much, thank gawd. I'm still pooped and reeling a bit from travel last week for work/family drama + a big work week since returning with my boss in town. I'm hoping to just do some chores, get to yoga, and relax a little.

ball.and.chain

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

Happy moment: last night my kitty June snuggled with my belly bump.  She rubbed her head all over it and purred.  I like to think that our baby could hear her purring, even if he wouldn't know what it was.

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?

I have a little bit of a problem with cherries.  I can't stop eating them when they are good and in-season.

3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

Um...modern-traditional?  Our house was built in the mid-20s, and for that reason I wouldn't want a completely modern look in here.  We tend to gravitate toward simple, clean-lined furniture...but I like to mix up new stuff with antiques, heirlooms, and the occasional hand-me-down.  I am very deliberate and rather picky in what I buy for the house, but I have never had a big budget or the patience for thrifting and DIYing.  I think we've done pretty well with what we have.

4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

I found this Atlantic article on overprotected kids really thought-provoking: https://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

5. What's up for the weekend?!

Tonight: Pizza delivery, relaxing and bumping (my wife works late on Fridays, so this is pretty much my routine).  Tomorrow: Out to breakfast with my wife because our stove is broken and I don't want cereal or toast!  Maybe some baby/house projects with the wife.  Game night with my co-workers at night.  Sunday: Yoga, brunch at a friend's house.

Jazibel

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.
Our downstairs flat in Roatan was rented with a 6 month lease (and the tenants upstairs are extending for a year).  Woohoo! While this won't make us rich, it will take the pressure off considerably, especially since we also got a bill for our homeowners insurance this week.

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?
I am the worst at choosing.   Mango and strawberries.  But cherries, pineapple, raspberries are a near third, fourth and fifth place.

3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?
Haha - we named it "Pirate Glamor" as a joke when we were shopping for our more recent acquisitions (about 2 years ago).  Really its rustic and romantic. We like distressed pieces and mostly neutral colors with jewel tone accents.  Right now our primary accent color is a teal blue.  Our decor looked even better against the light yellow walls of our last house - but its okay here too, but definitely toned down. The "Pirate Glamour" came from incorporating shells (we even have a barnacle), silver Moroccan inspired pieces (that EV acquired when working for a home decor designer years ago), and a rustic trunk, etc.  We still have the rope we were going to make curtain ties out of but never got around too.  OK I'm revealing that we have way too much fun decorating.  We get a lot of things second hand, and some of our bedroom, playroom furniture is stuff we've had around for ever, bought on Craigslist, etc.  So our house is in general a little mismatched.  


4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

I really like this pregnancy weekly update: 

https://www.i-am-pregnant.com/Pregnancy/calendar/week/1


5. What's up for the weekend?!
Today EV worked from home, and Kaden and I hung out getting over our colds.  (Our rendezvous with a fellow bumpie has been postponed until we're not sick
Tomorrow I work in SF doing my driving gig and EV stays home with Kaden
Sunday we're going over our friends house to let our toddlers play together and enjoy a medieval inspired dinner before watching Game of Thrones (while the babies hopefully sleep). 
Any down time will be used to run errands and get homework done.


BONUS: PIP of choice!

CageyMack

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

Yesterday a friend just stopped by and it was so fun to hang out with him.  He was in the neighborhood and on his motorcycle and he just thought he would see if I was home.  I had a ton of good food and we just hung out on the porch for over an hour while the baby slept.  It was might nice.
2. What is your favorite fresh fruit? 

Mangoes, I think.  Although I really love raspberries picked off the vine early in the morning. Oh! Red huckleberries that I pick-n-eat while I ride my horse.  I haven't been in Oregon for years, so haven't had that chance.  Man, miss that.
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?

We have mostly antique, craftsman furniture, but pull toward clean, modern looks with it. That said, our house is super dark right now, so our wood furniture makes it feel like most of the British Columbia homes I grew up in--warm, dark, woodsy and wooly.  Lots of people who come to see our house think it is kind of amazing.  It is very different from the other Hawaii homes.  We will move a lot in our lives, so for us, having the same feel, the same furniture, will be the way we make "home" for our kids.  We also have a ton of books, which is like surrounding ourselves with love and family.
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

LOVED this one while I was preggo.  Can't wait to use it again when DW is growing a baby:

https://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/your-beginning/make-room-for-baby/interactive/

"How big is baby? How big am I? WHERE is my liver?!"

5. What's up for the weekend?!

So fun! This morning I'm going to get some ingredients for an Arnold Palmer cake.  I'm going to go see a woman who might want me to teach riding lessons.  Then I need to make the cake.  And a church beach party with our bestie church pals and all the kids in the afternoon.

Tomorrow we are heading to church (gotta love the Unitarians!), where I will read the Story for All Ages, and then assist teaching the 4-6 year olds, who are some of my favorite people in the world.  Sunday night is wide open.

BONUS: PIP of choice!

Here is a funny one of me and W.  I was trying to get him to wear his birthday mask ("Honey Badger Boy, Master of Mayhem") and he would only do so if I let him hold the hammer.  This is the only picture, pretty much, of him with it on.  He hates things on his head.

LaireAndLia

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.
I'm a midwife, and on Tuesday, I delivered triplets who had only went to 30 weeks, on a moving Train at rush hour, alone except for the mother. And they are doing great! So I'm pretty proud of myself for that.

2. What is your favourite fresh fruit?
Macintosh red apples. They are a pain in the arse to get over here, but I love them so much.
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?
Green and woody. Our living room is black and green, the bathroom is green, the kitchen is white, green, yellow and orange, our bedroom is grey and green and the spare bedroom/Laire's office is blue and green. I don't even like green that much. All the furniture is made of oak. I don't really enjoy decorating, or bother too much about decor, so I just let Laire run riot, haha.
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!

There was an interview I saw with loads of children from the UK with gay parents talking about their families a while ago, and it was so cute, but I can't seem to find it now. If i can find it, I will show you!
5. What's up for the weekend?!
We went shopping today, and tomorrow we're having Laire's grandparents over for Lunch, and then we're going out to dinner with friends.

AandStilltrying

2MamazInSeattle said:

Sorry running a little late today...

1. Tell us something that you're proud of this week, or a success or happy moment.

I took my mom an

2. What is your favorite fresh fruit?
3. Describe your home decor - what's your style?
4. Share a TTC, baby-related, parenting or otherwise bump-related link - anything you think might be interesting to the group!
5. What's up for the weekend?!

BONUS: PIP of choice!

1. I took my mom and nephews to the beach for the day on Wed. It was a PERFECT day.

2. Strawberries. Excited to have our own patch too this year.

3. Country with a modern spin. Just like it to feel homey.

4.https://www.southernsavers.com/2012/08/stocking-up-on-diapers-how-much-to-buy-at-what-price/

5. Well I'm late to the game...but...yesterday I was on cuteness overload at petco because they had pet adoption. I now think I want to start a doggie daycare and move out somewhere with some land! Today is my nephews 14th bday so we are going to be with him today.

Bonus pip: a picture of my cutie nephew.

JGY

LaireAndLia , WHAT???? I think we need more details on this!

Did you just happen to be in the right place at the right time?  And ... Hi!  I don't think I've seen you around here before, but I've also been a little light on the bump time in the last few weeks so I may have missed ya.

 

LaireAndLia

@JGY I know! It was crazy. I was just on the train going in for the afternoon shift, and this lady was sitting beside me, and was clearly in the second stage of labour, and was freaking out. She was trying to avoid pushing, she said, but I knew she wasn't going to make to to the hospital, so I explained who I was and got her pushing where she was. They weren't her first children, so she had given birth to all three of her girls by the time we got to the hospital, and there were doctors on hand with incubators already there. The girls were touch and go for the first three days but they are going well now, and so is mum.